Germans in Finland

Germans in Finland (Deutsche in Finnland; Suomen saksalaiset) are immigrants from Germany residing in Finland.

History
During the Middle Ages, the most important officers and other nobles were Swedish or Germans. In Turku and Viipuri 75% of bourgeoisies were German. Germans were also merchants. By 1924 there were 1,645 Germans in Finland.

German families were essential for the development of Finland and Helsinki in the 1800s. German was the third most spoken language in Helsinki at the time, and German schools which still operate today were established in Helsinki.

During World War II, there were about 200,000 German soldiers in Finland in the period 1941–1944, and an estimated 700 children were born to German soldiers and Finnish women.

Many present-day Finnish companies were started by Germans, like Paulig and Stockmann.

FC Germania Helsinki is a sports club funded by Germans in Finland in 2017.

Finnish people of German descent

 * Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, former Finnish president
 * Maria Guzenina, politician
 * Peter von Bagh, science author
 * Lasse Pöysti, actor
 * Carl Ludvig Engel, architect
 * Eva Polttila, former news anchor
 * Roman Schatz, writer
 * Fredrik Pacius, composer
 * Samu Haber, singer-songwriter