7 GREAT Germans who helped shape Russia Getty Images; Public Domain For more than 150 years, the Russian Empire was governed by ethnic Germans – including the Romanovs, starting from Peter III. Aside from them, there were a great lot of German people who contributed immensely to the culture and science of Russia.
1. Burkhard Christoph von Münnich (1683-1767)
Portrait of Count Burkhard Christoph von Münnich (1683-1767) Getty Images
Born: In the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, into a military noble family.
Started service/work in Russia: In 1721, Von Münnich was invited to Russia to serve as an engineer and general. Upon his arrival, Von Münnich managed to impress Peter the Great with his skills as a fortificational engineer and continued his service after Peter’s death.