Overview

Germans first settled in the South Caucasus region in 1817-1818. Most of them came from Wuerttemberg, although many died on the journey. Some came for economic reasons, escaping the devastating harvests of 1816 (known as the Year Without a Summer). Many came for religious reasons—Separatists on the way to the Holy Land believing the Second Coming was imminent. Later, some colonists also came to the South Caucasus from Switzerland and Odessa-area colonies, especially from Glueckstal.

Eight mother colonies were originally established: Marienfeld, Neu Tiflis, Alexanderdorf, Petersdorf, Annenfeld, Elisabethtal, Helenendorf, and Katharinenfeld. These are in the present-day countries of Georgia and Azerbaijan. However they lost their German names and German population.

In 1826, many of these colonies were raided by Turkish and Kurdish horsemen, resulting in death or enslavement of many colonists. Annenfeld, Helenendorf, and Katharinenfeld experienced significant destruction. However, over time, the colonies prospered and more daughter colonies were formed.

After the Russian Revolution, Azerbaijan and Georgia declared their independence in 1918 and established protections for minority groups such as the Germans. However, in 1920 the Soviet Union annexed Azerbaijan, followed by Georgia in 1921. South Caucasus Germans experienced the same tragedies of farm collectivization, exile, and executions as those in the Odessa and Crimea areas.

In October 1941, South Caucasus Germans were deported to Kazakhstan. This impacted 23,580 Germans from Georgia, 22,741 from Azerbaijan and 212 from Armenia.