German

Noun

Ostgebiete pl

1. (historical) the pre-1938 territories of the German Reich east of the Oder-Neisse line, from where the German population was expelled after World War II, and which are now parts of Poland and Russia

Usage notes

Since 1990, when West Germany officially dismissed its claim to the territories, they are usually referred to as ehemalige (deutsche) Ostgebiete ‎(“former German territories in the East”).

Related terms

• Ostsiedlung
• Vertriebene