GERMANAIJAN

Germanaijan. Do you think this is a name of a country? Perhaps a newly discovered chemical element? No. It is a portmanteau made up of the names of two countries, Azerbaijan and Germany, by the organisers of the Germanaijan exhibition and means a close friendly and cultural union between the Germans, who consider Azerbaijan as their new homeland, and Azerbaijanis, who can be tolerant to a foreign culture, faith and language. According to the exhibition's curator Asli Samedova, it is dedicated to the 200^th anniversary of the establishment of the first German settlement in Azerbaijan. There are many artefacts, archival photographs and documents, maps and settlement schemes, interactive materials, as well as a multimedia project made by Azerbaijani contemporary poetess Leyla Salayeva and German illustrator Xenia Fink, video works by the artist and photographer Chinara Majidova, British writer and photographer Thomas Marsden. Sevil Aliyeva is the guide of the exhibition.

A bit of history

How did the Germans from Swabia appear in Azerbaijan? On May 10, 1817, Russian emperor Alexander I signed a petition addressed to seven hundred Swabian families asking them to resettle to the South Caucasus. Why? According to historical sources, the Swabs sent to Caucasus, namely to Azerbaijan, were Lutherans, but were strict pietists, which was one of the reasons for their resettlement.

Pietism originated in the 17^th century within the Lutheran and Reformed churches in contrast with Lutheran orthodoxy. It is a movement with emphasis on personal piety, religious experiences of believers, feeling of lively communion with God, as well as a feeling of being constantly under the strict and watchful Eye of God. Pietism was a reaction to spiritual degradation of churches.

In August 1818, more than half of the seven hundred families arrived to Azerbaijan. Some families could not bear long and difficult travel, while some stayed in the Black Sea region. At the same time, about a hundred families from the Black Sea German colonies joined the settlers. In spring 1819, the settlers formed two colonies in Azerbaijan: Helenendorf (Göygöl) in honour of Grand Duchess Yelena Pavlovna, daughter of Emperor Paul I, and Annenfeld (Shamkir). They were followed by six other communities: Grunfeld, Traubenfeld, Elizavetinka, Eigenfeld, Georgsfeld, Alexeyevka (now in the territory of Gazakh, Tovuz, and Aghstafa).

Helenendorf was the largest colony in Transcaucasia. It was the centre of all colonial settlements. The founders of Helenendorf are the families of Gotlieb Koch, Herzog Schiman, Jacob Krause, Johannes Wuhrer. Linguistic and cultural differences between Germans and Azerbaijanis did not hinder close contacts in cultural, economic, and agricultural activities of the two people. The government allocated two thousand Russian roubles for relocation and resettlement of each family.

Legacy

The exhibition provides abundant information on the development of Germans and their skills in a different habitat including housekeeping, economics, trade, construction, education. Azerbaijanis, who have always been tolerant of the moral and cultural values ​​of other peoples living in their territory, quickly learned from practical experience of Germans, who also introduced qualitatively new changes into their lives through sharing of experiences. Having a genetic aptitude for learning languages, Azerbaijanis very soon began to understand German, which has greatly simplified the process of communication. This made it possible to engage in trade, to share practical experience in the management of winegrowing, crafts, etc. Quite a few words of German origin are still in use in the modern Azerbaijani language, such as aysberq (iceberg), şnur (band), banknot (banknote), ertshersoq (archduke), feldmarşal (field marshal), manqan (manganese), şablon (pattern), sinkoqrafiya (zincography), termos (thermos), yenot (raccoon), etc. There are authentic documentary evidence, an interactive information screen, copies of art canvases, a photo installation of works by contemporary German artists and photographers, a photo archive, recreated details of everyday life of the first settlers, layouts of dwellings, etc. at the exhibitions Interestingly, one of the German settlers, Lorents Yakovlevich Kun, was a member of parliament in the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (1918-1920), representing the German population of the country. However, detailed information about the life and activities of the settlers from Swabia can be found in the book The Germans in Northern Azerbaijan by Hajar Verdiyeva.

Economic activities

German colonists in Azerbaijan were mainly active in viniculture and the production of alcoholic beverages including various varieties of vintage and table wines, brandy, champagne. Production was in Helenendorf, the sale of goods was made through local trading firms Forer Brothers, Hummel Brothers, and Concordia. The Forer brothers built brewing and brandy factories selling their products to Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg) and Europe. Together with viticulture, which the settlers learned from Azerbaijanis, and winemaking in German settlements, agriculture, cattle breeding, dairy production, and various types of crafts have also been developed. Azerbaijani Germans in the Soviet period had their own collective farms.

Crafts

Germans created carpentry workshops for the production of horse carts, barrels, workshops for tailoring, shoes, as well as forges, metalworking workshops, painting and stove business.

Education

One of the German settlers was a teacher. By 1823, Swabians had a school and their children had a chance to learn writing, counting, reading, geography and history. In 1907, at the Helelendorf School, a boarding school was open for children of settlers from the settlements in Georgia. Educators from Germany were invited to work at this school. The schools of settlers studied the Azerbaijani language. They had teachers teaching in Russian, Azerbaijani and German languages. It is well known that Alois Melichar (future conductor at the Berlin Philharmonic) used to give music lessons at this school. History was taught by Jacob Hummel, famous for his works on archaeology. A prominent German writer and poet F. Bach also used to teach at the Helenendorf School.

Cultural life

It began with the creation in 1893 of the German Society in Helenendorf, which was a men's club with a library, a reading room and a bowling alley. Later, brass and string orchestras and a theatre studio were organised. The club also hosted a hall for concerts and various performances, also given in the nearby public garden and at various festivals, which was a meeting point for the settlers from all the Transcaucasian colonies. Cultural and economic decline in the Swabian colonies began in the 1930s with the introduction of collective farming. This period of life of the settlers is also reflected in the exhibits.

Architecture

Azerbaijani Germans lived not only in the colonies, but also in Baku including entrepreneurs, scientists, architects, engineers, teachers, doctors. German architects have made a special contribution to the development of the unique architectural style of Baku. The most prominent of them was the city mayor in 1889-1902 N. A. von der None. It was during this period that many beautiful historical buildings were built in Baku, including the Baku Boulevard. F. A. Lemkul built one of such unique beauties known today as the Theatre of Musical Comedy and previously – as the theatre of Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev. In total, German architects constructed sixty beautiful buildings in Baku. Among them is the German Church. Detailed information about the artistic contribution of German architects to the architectural appearance of Baku can be found in Elchin Aliyev’s book German Heritage in Azerbaijani Architecture.

Repression

Azerbaijani Germans who had lived in this territory since 1818 suffered from repressions in 1933-1941 due to their nationality. Since the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, pursuant to the order of the People's Commissar of Internal Affairs of the USSR (No. 001487 of October 11, 1941) on the resettlement of individuals of German nationality from Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia, the Germans of Khanlar (Helenendorf) were forcefully moved to Central Asia, Kazakhstan and Siberia.

In 2018

All cultural and architectural artefacts created by German masters are carefully preserved in Azerbaijan. Periodically, repair and restoration works are carried out to preserve the German architectural heritage, which has become an integral part of Azerbaijani culture. By the 200^th anniversary of the resettlement of Germans and the creation of German colonies in Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree On the 200^th anniversary of the establishment of German settlements in Transcaucasia. This is a tribute to the historical and architectural heritage of Azerbaijan, which naturally includes the creative activities of German masters of architecture. The German-Azerbaijani cultural society Kapelhaus is regularly holding various exhibitions, concerts, events, and contributes to the preservation of the cultural memory of the historical past and present of our country.

Germanaijan will be open until February 16, 2019. It is organized and conducted by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany with the financial support of the Culture Preservation Program of the German Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Goethe-Zentrum Baku / Kapellhaus.