Germany–Serbia relations


Germany–Serbia relations are foreign relations between Germany and Serbia. Both countries established diplomatic relations on 18 January 1879. Germany has an embassy in Belgrade. Serbia has an embassy in Berlin and 5 general consulates. There are around 505,000 people of Serbian descent living in Germany.

History

Serb-German relations started in the Middle Ages. Serbian Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja and Emperor Frederick I had a meeting in modern-day Niš in the 12th century. During the rise of Serbian medieval state, Saxon miners were brough to Serbia in order to further expand the mining industry, which was the main source of wealth and power of Serbian rulers. Saxons were given certain privileges for their work.
Culture of Serbs in Habsburg Monarchy was largely influenced by German culture, and a part of Serbs were subjected to Germanisation. Due to German influences and several other reasons, Serb cultural model was reshaped and looked up to those of countries of Central Europe.
Principality and Kingdom of Serbia held strong relations with Germany. Most of Serbian engineers and technical experts were educated in Germany or German speaking countries, and German was the required language in related higher education institutions. Munich was an important education center for Serb painters. German architects also influenced the Architecture of Serbia. Serbian civil and trade laws, as well as organisation of University of Belgrade was influenced by German models.
Relations of the two countries were on a very low level after the World War I, but trading and joint businesses never stopped.
In the interwar period, German political and cultural influence became less relevant, as France became the primary influence in Kingdom of Yugoslavia and French culture was favored by Serb elites. A total of 62 PhD thesis were defended in German language between the two world wars, of which 31 were in the domain of Economics. A number of students of the University of Belgrade held German scholarships in the 1930s. In the period 1937-1940, around 50 Yugoslav citizens studied in Germany, which is a number second only to France. A number of professor had their Postgraduate education in Germany as well.

Country comparison

Germany Serbia
Population81,799,6007,120,666
Area357,021 km² 88,361 km²
Population density229/km² 144.46/km²
CapitalBerlinBelgrade
Largest cityBerlin – 3,471,756 Belgrade – 1,640,000
GovernmentFederal parliamentary constitutional republicParliamentary republic
Current LeaderPresident Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Chancellor Angela Merkel		President Aleksandar Vučić
Prime Minister Ana Brnabić
Official languagesGermanSerbian
Main religions30.0% Catholic Christians, 29.9% Protestant Christians,
1.6% Eastern Orthodox Christians, 4.6% to 5.2% Islam		84.1% Eastern Orthodoxy, 6.24% Roman Catholicism, 3.62% Islam,
2% Protestantism, 5.4% other
Ethnic groups80.7% Germans, 2.0% Poles, 4.0% Turks and 3.6% European other
83% Serbs, 4% Hungarians, 2% Bosniaks,
1.5% Roma, 1% Yugoslavs, 1% Slovaks, 10% other
GDP US$3.577 trillion $50.061 billion