Pommern | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Germany (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) | |
| Languages | |
| German (Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch) | |
| Religion | |
| Protestantism (Lutheranism),Catholic Church | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Germans |
ThePomeranians (German:Pommern) are aGerman people native to the historical region ofPomerania. In modern times, its population inhabitsGermany, including the state ofMecklenburg-Vorpommern.[1][2] Nowadays there are about 12 million descendants of Germans inBrazil, a part of these Brazilians are of Pomeranian origin.[3][4]
In theHigh Middle Ages, groups of people migrated to Pomerania during theOstsiedlung. These migrants, consisting of Germans from what is now Northwestern Germany,Danes,Dutch andFlemings, gradually outnumbered and assimilated theWest Slavic tribes of theRani,Liutizians andSlavic Pomeranians. The evolving society (German:Neustamm) was speaking theEast Pomeranian,Central Pomeranian andMecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch dialects ofLow German. Mostly German immigration continued until the 20th century. TheThirty Years' War caused a severe population drop: only one-third of the pre-war Pomeranian population survived.[5][6] In the late 19th and early 20th century, many Pomeranians emigrated to prospering West German industrial centers or overseas during theOstflucht. Low German was gradually replaced byStandard German, though spoken with an accent. AfterWorld War II, most of the formerProvince of Pomerania became Polish, and nearly all Pomeranians living east of theOder-Neisse linefled or were expelled to post-war Germany. Therefore, Pomeranians today live not only inWestern Pomerania but are dispersed all overGermany and other countries.[citation needed]
