Every country has its own story of immigration. Germany’s began in 1958, when many Greeks, especially from impoverished northern regions, arrived as guest workers. Their journey, unlike that to America or Australia, was shaped by hardship and silent sacrifice, with no support for rising their children or learning the language.

Greek women played a crucial, often overlooked role. Working long hours in factories, cleaning homes, cooking, and raising families, without applause, without support. Many were forced to send newborns back to Greece, splitting families and creating generational wounds.

Yet these women built bridges. While men dreamed of returning, they created lives in Germany. They opened the first Greek restaurants, introduced German neighbors to homemade meals and broken but warm German. They carried the emotional and physical weight of integration.

Their music became healing, their food became legacy, and their presence forever shaped both Greek and German cultures. Meanwhile, the german money sent back to greece, built up houses, villages, cities, and gave financial security to millions of people. 

This is not just history, it’s living memory that must be told finally as even the second generation of Greeks in Germany are dying. A story told by Stavi, through her family and others, preserving the voices of those who gave so much, yet were rarely seen.