The Designation of Belorussia in the German language from the Eighteenth to the Twenty-First Centuries

Abstract

This article examines the tradition of naming the Belarusian ethnic territory in the German language and its dynamics over the past three centuries. At the end of the seventeenth century some German authors related the term “White Russia” to the regions of the modern Republic of Belarus. Rare contact between Germans and Belarusians contributed to the fact that the Belarusian territory was perceived within the Polish and Russian paradigm, as it also was in linguistic terms. Up to the beginning of the twentieth century the designation “Belarus” was transmitted using the word “Weissrussland”. In various contexts, it could be translated as “white Russia” (part of a greater country) or the “White Russians’ Land” (in the local dimension). The beginning of the First World War contributed significantly to the dissemination of information about Belarus in Germany. Between 1916 and 1945, there was a conflict between the traditional designation “Weissrussland” and the new form “Weissruthenien”. The origins of the latter term have not yet been definitively clarified. After 1945, the term “Weissruthenien” was rejected as politically motivated in both German states. Until 1990, the traditional form of “Weissrussland” was used in Western Germany, while in Eastern Germany the official Soviet transcription of “Belorussland” was implemented. Despite the fact that after the reunification of Germany use of the national name of the country (Belarus) began, the term “Weissrussland” is still present in public discourse.