Das Lied der Deutschen ("The Song of the Germans", also known as Das Deutschlandlied, "The Song of Germany") has been used wholly or partially as the national anthem of Germany since 1922. Outside Germany, the hymn is sometimes informally known by the opening words and refrain of the first stanza, Deutschland, Deutschland über alles, but this was never the title of the original work nor is the first stanza part of the current German national anthem. A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that is evoking and eulogizing the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nations government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people. ... Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ...

The music was written by Joseph Haydn in 1797 for the anthem of Emperor Francis II of the Holy Roman Empire, Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser. The same year, Haydn used it for the second movement of his string quartet no. 62 in C major, op. 76, no. 3 (which is thus also known as Kaiserquartett.) Image File history File links Speaker_Icon. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 1797 (MDCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 11-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Francis I in Austrian coronation regalia, 1832 Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor (German language: Franz II, Heiliger Römischer Kaiser) also referred to as Franz I, Emperor of Austria (February 12, 1768 – March 2, 1835) was the last Holy Roman Emperor, ruling from 1792 until August 6, 1806, when the... The extent of the Holy Roman Empire in c. ... Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser (God Save Emperor Francis) is an anthem to the Emperor Francis II of the Holy Roman Empire and later of Austria, written by Lorenz Leopold Haschka (1749-1827) and set to a tune written by Joseph Haydn in 1797. ...

In 1841, the German linguist and poet August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben wrote the lyrics of "Das Lied der Deutschen" to Haydn's melody in Helgoland. This and other works were considered as revolutionary by Prussia, and Hoffmann von Fallersleben lost his job as librarian and professor in Breslau. Only after the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states was he rehabilitated. August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben. ... Heligoland during World War I. Heligoland (in German, Helgoland and in North Frisian, Lun, Hålilönj) is a small, German, triangular-shaped island approximately 2 km long, though a smaller island east of it is usually also included. ... Motto: Suum cuique Latin: To each his own Prussia at its peak, as leading state of the German Empire Capital Königsberg, later Berlin Political structure Duchy, Kingdom, Republic Duke1  - 1525–68 Albert I  - 1688–1701 Frederick III King1  - 1701–13 Frederick I  - 1888–1918 William II Prime Minister1,2... Wrocław. ... // Germany at the time of the Revolutions of 1848 was a collection of 38 states including Austria loosely bound together in the German Confederation after the Congress of Vienna in 1815. ...

The song was chosen for the national anthem of Germany in 1922, at the time of the Weimar Republic. It continued to be used in Nazi Germany, but only its first verse, immediately followed by the Nazi Party's Horst-Wessel-Lied. In 1952, West Germany adopted the third stanza of the Deutschlandlied as its national anthem, and took Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit (Unity and justice and freedom) from it for its motto. Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ... Anthem: Das Lied der Deutschen The Länder of Germany during the Weimar Republic, with the Free State of Prussia (Freistaat Preußen) as the largest Capital Berlin Language(s) German Government Republic President  - 1919-1925 Friedrich Ebert  - 1925-1933 Paul von Hindenburg Chancellor  - 1919 Philipp Scheidemann  - 1933 Adolf Hitler... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... The Nazi Party, (German: , or NSDAP, English: National Socialist German Workers Party), was a political party in Germany between 1920 and 1945. ... The Horst Wessel Lied (Horst Wessel Song), also known as Die Fahne Hoch (The flag on high, from its opening line), was the anthem of the NSDAP of Germany, chosen to glorify Horst Wessel as a Nazi martyr. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... A motto (from Italian) is a phrase or a short list of words meant formally to describe the general motivation or intention of an entity, social group, or organization. ...

Tune

See "Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser". Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser (God Save Emperor Francis) is an anthem to the Emperor Francis II of the Holy Roman Empire and later of Austria, written by Lorenz Leopold Haschka (1749-1827) and set to a tune written by Joseph Haydn in 1797. ...

The tune of "Das Lied der Deutschen" was written by Haydn in 1797, but not as a national anthem of Germany; Haydn wrote it to provide music to the poem "Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser" ("God save Francis the Emperor"), an anthem to Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Germany, and Archduke of Austria. After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, "Gott erhalte..." came to be considered the unofficial national anthem of Austria. This tune also is the second movement of one of Haydn's string quartets, the "Kaiserquartett". This string quartet is still widely performed today, still with the second movement containing the tune of the German national anthem along with several variations.

The tune is used in the English-speaking world as a hymn tune, often used for the hymn "Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken" by John Newton. In this context, the tune is called "Austria" or "Austrian Hymn". [1] John Newton John Newton (July 24, 1725 – December 21, 1807) was an English slaveship master who converted to Christianity and continued as a slave ship master, but eventually became an Anglican clergyman. ...

Historical background

The Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, considered the first German Empire, was already weak when the French Revolution and the ensuing Napoleonic Wars altered the political map of Central Europe. The extent of the Holy Roman Empire in c. ... The French Revolution(1789-1799) was a period of major political and social change in the political history of France and Europe as a whole, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudal privileges for the aristocracy and Catholic clergy, underwent radical change to forms based... Combatants Allies: Austrian Empire[1] Kingdom of Portugal Kingdom of Prussia[1] Russian Empire[2] Kingdom of Spain[3] Kingdom of Sweden United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland[4] French Empire - Kingdom of Holland - Kingdom of Italy - Kingdom of Naples - Duchy of Warsaw - Kingdom of Bavaria[5] - Kingdom of...

Hopes for the Enlightenment, human rights, republics, democracy, freedom after Napoleon's defeat in 1815 were disappointed when the Congress of Vienna re-instated many monarchies. The new German Confederation was still (or again) a collection of more than 30 quarreling monarchies and republican free cities, with their own currencies, laws, armies etc. All sorts of conflicts, from trade tariffs to wars, resulted from that. ... For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation). ... The Congress of Vienna by Jean-Baptiste Isabey, 1819. ... Forms of government Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A monarchy, from the Greek μονος, one, and αρχειν, to rule, is a form of government that has a monarch as head of state. ... The German Confederation (German: Deutscher Bund) was the association of Central European states created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to organize the surviving states of the Holy Roman Empire, which had been abolished in 1806. ...

In addition, with the Carlsbad Decrees of 1819, Chancellor Prince Meternich and his secret police enforced censorship, mainly in universities, to keep a watch on the activities of professors and students, whom he held responsible for the spread of radical liberal ideas. The Carlsbad Decrees were a set of social restrictions introduced in Germany by Prince Klemens Wenzel von Metternich of Austria on September, 20 1819. ...

Particularly since hardliners among the monarchs were the main adversaries, demands for freedom of press and other liberal rights were most often uttered in connection with the demand for a united Germany, even though many revolutionaries-to-be had different opinions whether a republic or a constitutional monarchy would be the best solution for Germany, as the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states would show. // Preliminaries Germany at the time of the Revolutions of 1848 was a collection of over 30 states loosely bound together in the German Confederation after the Congress of Vienna in 1815. ...

Hoffmann's lyrics

August Heinrich Hoffmann, who called himself von Fallersleben after his home town to distinguish himself from others with the same common name, wrote the text in 1841 on the North Sea island Heligoland, ironically then British. The year after, he lost his job as professor in Prussia due to his revolutionary works, and had to flee. Fallersleben is a district in the City of Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, with about 12,000 inhabitants (2004). ... The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ... Heligoland (in German, Helgoland and in North Frisian, Lun, Hålilönj) is a small German archipelago in the North Sea. ...

Hoffmann von Fallersleben evidently intended "Das Lied der Deutschen" to be sung to Haydn's tune, as the first publication of the poem included the music. While it may seem strange today that Hoffmann chose a tune that was strongly associated with Austria and its monarch for his song about the utopia of a united Germany, this would not have seemed strange in 1841. First, at the time other countries likewise borrowed tunes for their patriotic songs, often the tune from Britain's God Save the King. Second, Austria was considered a part of Germany: it was a member of the German Confederation until that was dissolved in 1866 after the Seven Weeks' War. The final separation between southern Germany and Austria did not occur until 1871. Left panel (The Earthly Paradise, Garden of Eden), from Hieronymus Boschs The Garden of Earthly Delights. ... The German Confederation (German: Deutscher Bund) was the association of Central European states created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to organize the surviving states of the Holy Roman Empire, which had been abolished in 1806. ... 1866 (MDCCCLXVI) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... The Austro-Prussian War (also called the Seven Weeks War or the German Civil War) was a war fought between Austria and Prussia in 1866 that resulted in Prussian dominance in Germany. ... 1871 (MDCCCLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

In its historical context, the opening line "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles, über alles in der Welt" (Germany, Germany above all, above everything in the world) has to be understood as an appeal to the various German sovereigns to give the creation of a united Germany a higher priority than the independence of their small states. Any claims to German supremacy on an international level, as interpreted nearly a century later by the Nazis, were virtually unthinkable in the international situation of the 1840s. Mainly due to the use by the Nazis, the anthem is still known in most of the English-speaking world by its first line, even though only the third stanza constitutes the official anthem for reasons that are explained below. Look up monarch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

In this third stanza, with his call for Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit, Hoffmann expressed his desire for a united, lawful and free Germany.

In the era after the Congress of Vienna ruled by Prince Metternich and his secret police, Hoffmann's text had a distinctly revolutionary, liberal connotation, since the demand for a united Germany was most often uttered in connection with demands for freedom of press and other liberal rights (see The Revolutions of 1848 in the German states). It can also imply that loyalty to a larger Germany should replace loyalty to one's sovereign personally. This in itself is a revolutionary idea. In fact, Hoffmann lost his job as professor in Breslau in 1842, and had to run and hide until being pardoned only after 1848. The Congress of Vienna by Jean-Baptiste Isabey, 1819. ... Klemens Wenzel von Metternich Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar Fürst von Metternich-Winneberg-Beilstein (May 15, 1773 - June 11, 1858) (sometimes rendered in English as Prince Clemens Metternich) was an Austrian politician and statesman and perhaps the most important diplomat of his era. ... Liberalism is an ideology, philosophical view, and political tradition which holds that liberty is the primary political value. ... // Preliminaries Germany at the time of the Revolutions of 1848 was a collection of over 30 states loosely bound together in the German Confederation after the Congress of Vienna in 1815. ...

Lyrics and translation

The following provides the lyrics of the "Lied der Deutschen" as written by von Fallersleben. August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben. ...

Only the third verse currently is the Federal Republic of Germany's National Anthem. The other two stanzas are not part of the National Anthem. Their performance, as a song in general, is not forbidden.

Geography

Geography according to the first stanza, with modern borders and area where German is an official language today (marked green)

The borders mentioned in the first stanza reflected the breadth of territory across which German speakers were spread at the time of composition, but there were large territories inside the boders which were inhabited mainly by non-German speakers. Now and then, German is spoken at or near three of the four cornerstones given by Hoffmann, but Germans have since been removed from the Memel region. Image File history File links Deutschlandlied-Geographie. ... Image File history File links Deutschlandlied-Geographie. ...

In the 1840s, when the text was written, there was no unified German state and it was uncertain if there would ever be one. The Napoleonic Wars had helped to give the German people a national identity of sorts, but had not unified them as a state. Hoffmann, who in his research had collected German writings and tales, based his definition of Germany on linguistic criteria: he describes the approximate area where a significant percentage German speakers lived at the time, as encountered in his studies. 19th century nationalists generally relied on linguistic criteria to determine the borders of the nation-states they desired. // Events and Trends Technology First use of general anesthesia in an operation, by Crawford Long The first electrical telegraph sent by Samuel Morse on May 24, 1844 from Baltimore to Washington, D.C.. War, peace and politics First signing of the Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi) on February... Combatants Allies: Austrian Empire[1] Kingdom of Portugal Kingdom of Prussia[1] Russian Empire[2] Kingdom of Spain[3] Kingdom of Sweden United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland[4] French Empire - Kingdom of Holland - Kingdom of Italy - Kingdom of Naples - Duchy of Warsaw - Kingdom of Bavaria[5] - Kingdom of... The term nation-state, while often used interchangeably with the terms unitary state and independent state, refers properly to the parallel occurence of a state and a nation. ...

• To the north, the belt between Jutland and Funen is part of Denmark now. The border between Denmark and Germany has fluctuated over the years, with Germany sometimes reaching as far north as the Belt (as after the Second war of Schleswig).
• In the west, the Meuse River runs through what is now France, Belgium and the Netherlands. The river roughly defines the boundary separating the formerly German regions of Alsace (German: Elsass) and Lorraine (Lothringen) from the rest of France, as well the German-speaking areas from the rest of Belgium.
• In the east, the lower part of the Memel was located within Prussia, which actually stretched beyond the river which was called Neman, Niemen or Nemunas in other languages, with the border to Lithuania being stable since 1422.
• In the south, the Adige river runs through South Tyrol, which has had a majority of German speakers for centuries.

In the south and in the west, Hoffmann's definition of Germany coincided with the borders of the German Confederation as it existed then. The southernmost member of the Confederation was Austria; the westernmost members were Luxembourg and Limburg. However, Hoffmann went beyond the Confederation boundaries of 1841 in the north and in the east; neither Schleswig nor East Prussia belonged to it at that time yet, but joined before 1866. Thus, when the German Empire was finally founded in 1871, both were parts of the German Empire, whereas Luxemburg, Limburg, and Austria were not (smaller German solution). Jutland Peninsula Jutland (Danish: Jylland; German: Jütland; Frisian Jutlân; Low German Jötlann) is a peninsula in northern Europe that forms the only non-insular part of Denmark and also the northernmost part of Germany, dividing the North Sea from the Baltic Sea. ... Funen (Danish: Fyn) is the third largest island of Denmark, it has a population of 445,000 people. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... (New région flag) (Region logo) Location Administration Capital Strasbourg Regional President Adrien Zeller (UMP) (since 1996) Departments Bas-Rhin Haut-Rhin Arrondissements 13 Cantons 75 Communes 903 Statistics Land area1 8,280 km² Population (Ranked 14th)  - January 1, 2006 est. ... Location Administration Capital Metz Regional President Jean-Pierre Masseret (PS) (since 2004) Départements Meurthe-et-Moselle Meuse Moselle Vosges Arrondissements 19 Cantons 157 Communes 2,337 Statistics Land area1 23,547 km² Population (Ranked 11th)  - January 1, 2005 est. ... South Tyrol-Alto Adige (Italian: Alto Adige, German and Ladin: Südtirol; official in Italian: Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano - Alto Adige, official in German: Autonome Provinz Bozen - Südtirol, official in Ladin: Provinzia Autonòma de Balsan - Südtirol) is an autonomous province of Italy that belongs to the region... The German Confederation (German: Deutscher Bund) was the association of Central European states created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to organize the surviving states of the Holy Roman Empire, which had been abolished in 1806. ... Capital Maastricht Queens Commissioner L.J.P.M. (Leon) Frissen Religion (1999) Roman Catholic 80% Protestant 3% Area  â€¢ Land  â€¢ Water   2,153 km² (9th) 56 km² Population (2005)  â€¢ Total  â€¢ Density 1,135,962 (6th) 528/km² (4th) Inclusion 1839 Anthem In t Bronsgroen Eikenhout ISO NL-LI Official website... Motto: Gott mit Uns (German: God with us”) Anthem: Heil dir im Siegerkranz (unofficial) Territory of the German Empire in 1914, prior to World War I Capital Berlin Language(s) Official: German Unofficial minority languages: Polish (Posen, Lower Silesia,Upper Silesia, Masuria) French (Alsace-Lorraine) Government Constitutional monarchy Emperor  - 1871...

Use between the World Wars

Das Lied der Deutschen was not played at an official ceremony until Germany and Britain had agreed on the Heligoland-Zanzibar Treaty in 1890, when it appeared only appropriate to sing it at the ceremony on the now officially German island of Helgoland. The Heligoland-Zanzibar Treaty (German: Helgoland-Sansibar-Vertrag) was an 1890 agreement between the United Kingdom and the German Empire - hence also Anglo-German Agreement of 1890 - concerning mainly territorial interests in Africa. ... 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar). ...

The song became very popular after the 1914 Battle of Langemarck during World War I, when several German regiments, consisting mostly of students no older than 16, attacked the British lines singing this song, suffering heavy casualties. The official report of the army embellished the event as one of young German soldiers heroically sacrificing their lives for the fatherland. In reality the untrained troops were sent out to attack the British trenches side by side and were mowed down by machine guns. This report, also known as the "Langemarck Myth", was printed on the first page in newspapers all over Germany. 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Langemark is a town in the Belgian province of West Flanders. ... Combatants Allied Powers: Russian Empire France British Empire Italy United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary German Empire Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Commanders Nikolay II Aleksey Brusilov Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Ferdinand Foch Robert Nivelle Herbert H. Asquith D. Lloyd George Sir Douglas Haig Sir John Jellicoe Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna...

In 1921, a stanza was written that reflected the situation after Germany's defeat (see below for lyrics). This stanza was popular at that time, but never became part of the official anthem. Today this stanza is largely forgotten. Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for full calendar). ...

As a result of the war, the Austro-Hungarian Empire fell apart. The remaining German-speaking part declared the Republic of German Austria and intended to join Germany. With this, the united Germany as described 80 years earlier in the Deutschlandlied would have been achieved. For other uses, see Austria (disambiguation). ...

Yet, the Treaty of Saint-Germain prohibited this, and required the use of the name Austria instead. In addition, South Tyrol was occupied and annexed by Italy which now controlled the river Etsch in its full length. Also, among other territories, the Treaty of Versailles stripped Germany of areas near the other borders that were described 80 years earlier in the Deutschlandlied: The Treaty of Saint-Germain, was signed on 10 September 1919 by the victorious Allies of World War I on the one hand and by the new republic of Austria on the other. ... South Tyrol-Alto Adige (Italian: Alto Adige, German and Ladin: Südtirol; official in Italian: Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano - Alto Adige, official in German: Autonome Provinz Bozen - Südtirol, official in Ladin: Provinzia Autonòma de Balsan - Südtirol) is an autonomous province of Italy that belongs to the region... The Palace of Versailles, where the treaty was signed. ...

• in the North, Northern Schleswig at the Belt was ceded to Denmark after the Schleswig Plebiscites
• in the West, the cities Eupen and Malmedy located well East of the Maas, became part of Belgium in 1925 after plebiscites that required names and addresses of the voters
• in the East, the Memelland beyond the Memel was put under control of France and later transferred to Lithuania without plebiscite, making the Memel the new border
• in the South, Italy annexed South Tyrol, and thus all of the river Etsch

On 11 August 1922, President Friedrich Ebert made all three official stanzas of Das Lied der Deutschen the official German national anthem. This choice certainly also served as a reminder of the lost areas. Sønderjyllands Amt (English: South Jutland County) is a county in southern Denmark, on the peninsula of Jutland. ... The Schleswig Plebiscites were two plebiscites, organized according to section XII, articles 109 to 114 the Treaty of Versailles of June 28, 1919, in order to determine the future border between Denmark and Germany. ... St Nikolaus church in Eupen Eupen is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège, 15 km from the German border (Aachen), from the Dutch border (Maastricht) and from the nature reservation Hohes Venn (Ardennes). ... Malmedy Cathedral, built in 1777 Malmedy is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. ... The Meuse(Maas) at Maastricht Length 925 km Elevation of the source 409 m Average discharge 230 m³/s Area watershed 36 000 km² Origin France Mouth Hollands Diep Basin countries France - Belgium - Netherlands The Meuse (Dutch Maas) is a large European river rising in France, flowing through Belgium and... Klaipėda Region (Memel Region, Memelland) is the name of the coastland of Lithuania around Klaipėda (formerly known as Memel) and the Curonian Lagoon, on the right bank of river Nemunas. ... This is not the Friedrich Ebert involved in the founding of the GDR, but rather his father. ...

During the Nazi era, the first stanza was heavily used, unlike the second and especially the third, which did not fit at all into the agenda with its "freedom and justice". Instead, the Horst-Wessel-Lied was played after the first stanza. National Socialism redirects here. ... The Horst Wessel Lied (Horst Wessel Song), also known as Die Fahne Hoch (The flag on high, from its opening line), was the anthem of the NSDAP of Germany, chosen to glorify Horst Wessel as a Nazi martyr. ...

In the Anschluss of 1938, Hitler added Austria to the German Empire, and in 1939, pressured Lithuania into returning the Memelland. His deal with Mussolini regarding South Tyrol required the population there to choose the Option in South Tyrol: either emigrating to neighboring Nazi Germany or remaining in South Tyrol and being forcefully integrated in to the mainstream Italian culture, losing their language and cultural heritage. Thus Hitler himself not only ignored the heritage of the Deutschlandlied, but actively started the series of expulsions of Germans from their traditional home lands that was later continued in the East. German troops march into Austria on 12 March 1938. ... The Option in South Tyrol refers to the time between 1939 and 1943, when the non-Italian speaking people living in South Tyrol were given the option of either emigrating to Hitlers Germany or remaining in South Tyrol and being forcefully integrated in to the mainstream Italian culture, losing...

Use after WW II

In 1945, after the end of World War II, singing Das Lied der Deutschen was banned for some time by the allies, due to its use by the Nazis, as were other symbols used by Nazi Germany. The described border near the Memel river in the East was now a thing of the past, with Germans being expelled by about 500km behind the Oder and Neisse rivers. Also, the call for "protection and defiance" and even for "unity and justice and freedom" was not welcome, as Germany was occupied, under martial law and split among four Allies plus Poland. As after the first war, some bitter parodies were written to reflect the situation. 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday. ... The Oder-Neisse line (German: , Polish: ) marked the border between German Democratic Republic and Poland between 1950 and 1990. ...

After its foundation in 1949, West Germany simply did not have a national anthem for official events for some years despite the growing need for proper diplomatic procedures. Different songs were discussed or used, like Beethoven's Ode An die Freude (Ode To Joy). Though the black, red and gold colours of the national flag had been taken into Article 22 of the (West) German constitution, a national anthem was not specified in the constitution. On 29 April 1952, Chancellor Konrad Adenauer asked President Theodor Heuss in a letter to accept Das Lied der Deutschen as the national anthem, with only the third stanza sung on official occasions. President Heuss agreed to this on 2 May 1952. This exchange of letters was published in the Bulletin of the Federal Government.^[1] Since it was viewed as the traditional right of the president as head of state to set the symbols of the state, the Lied der Deutschen thus became national anthem. 1820 portrait by Joseph Karl Stieler Beethoven redirects here. ... The Symphony No. ... The Basic Law (German: Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is the constitution[1] of Germany. ... April 29 is the 119th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (120th in leap years). ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... For other uses, see Konrad Adenauer (disambiguation). ... Theodor Heuss (January 31, 1884 - December 12, 1963) was a German politician. ... May 2 is the 122nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (123rd in leap years). ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The GDR adopted its own national anthem, Auferstanden aus Ruinen, which was written to fit the same melody, but later got its own. As the lyrics called for "Germany, united Fatherland", they were not sung anymore when this idea was dropped in the 1970s. Disambiguation Page Global Depositary Receipt East Germany ... Auferstanden aus Ruinen (Risen from the Ruins) was the national anthem of East Germany (German Democratic Republic, German: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, DDR). ...

When West Germany won the 1954 FIFA World Cup Final in Berne, Switzerland, the lyrics of the first stanza dominated when the crowd sang along to celebrate the surprise victory that was later dubbed The Miracle of Bern. This might have been due to a lack of knowledge among Germans about the third stanza lyrics, while the first stanza was still well known, even among foreigners. The 1954 Football World Cup Final was the final match of the 1954 World Cup. ... Location within Switzerland The city of Berne (German   , French Berne , Italian Berna , Romansh Berna , Bernese German Bärn ), is the Bundesstadt (administrative capital) of Switzerland and the fourth most populous Swiss city (after Zürich, Geneva and Basel). ... The Miracle of Bern film poster The Miracle of Bern (German title: Das Wunder von Bern) is a 2003 film by Sönke Wortmann, which tells the story of the unexpected West German victory in the 1954 World Cup Final in Bern, Switzerland, on July 4, 1954, and the story...

On 7 March 1990, months before reunification, the Constitutional Court declared only the third stanza of von Fallersleben's poem to be protected as a national anthem under criminal law; Section 90a of the Criminal Code (Strafgesetzbuch) makes defamation of the national anthem a crime, but does not specify what the national anthem is. The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) German reunification (German: ) took place on October 3, 1990, when the areas of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR, in English commonly called East Germany) were incorporated into the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, in English... The Strafgesetzbuch is the German, Swiss, Liechtenstein and Austrian criminal law. ...

In November 1991, President Richard von Weizsäcker and Chancellor Helmut Kohl agreed in an exchange of letters to declare the third stanza alone the national anthem of the enlarged republic. On official occasions, only Haydn's music is used, and the third stanza is supposed to be sung. For other uses, all stanzas may be performed. The singing of the first stanza may, however, considered by some as an expression of right-wing or nationalist political views, depending on the context. Dr. Richard Freiherr von Weizsäcker â–¶ (help· info) (born April 15, 1920) is a German politician (CDU). ... Helmut Josef Michael Kohl (born April 3, 1930) is a Catholic German conservative politician and statesman. ...

Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit ("unity and justice and freedom") from the third stanza is also the state's motto, appearing on soldiers' belts and in similar places. It was engraved into the rim of former 5-Deutsche Mark coins, and is shown on current 2-Euro coins minted in Germany. The Deutsche Mark (DM, DEM) was the official currency of West and, from 1990, unified Germany. ... The euro (EUR or €) is the currency of 12 European Union (EU) member states (Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain), three European microstates which have currency agreements with the EU (Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican City State), Andorra, Montenegro and the Kosovo...

Apart from highly official state visits, the music of Haydn is mainly played after German victories in sports contests (e. g. Michael Schumacher in Formula One, Winter Olympics) or before games of the Germany national football team without anyone providing vocals, apart from the attempts of the crowd present or the athletes involved. Michael Schumacher (pronounced / /, born January 3, 1969, in Hürth Hermülheim, Germany)[1] is a former Formula One driver, and seven-time world champion. ... This is the official medal count of the 2006 Winter Olympics. ... First international Switzerland 5 - 3 Germany (Basel, Switzerland; 5 April 1908) Biggest win Germany 16 - 0 Russia (Stockholm, Sweden; 1 July 1912) Biggest defeat England 9 - 0 Germany (Oxford, England; 16 March 1909) World Cup Appearances 16 (First in 1934) Best result Winners, 1954, 1974, 1990 (all as West Germany...

As customary in sports events in the USA, an artist was invited to perform the national anthem a cappella at the opening ceremony of the new Allianz Arena stadium in Munich in June 2005. German singer Sarah Connor made two mistakes, though. In anticipation of the later "brüderlich" (brotherly) and possibly impressed by the floodlight, instead of "Blüh im Glanze dieses Glückes" (Prosper in this fortune's blessing) she sang "Brüh im Lichte dieses Glückes" (Boil in the light of this fortune). In June 2006 at the same stadium, the proper refrain was spontaneously sung by the crowd during the first half of the FIFA World Cup 2006 playoff game to express joy about the early 2:0 lead of Germany over Sweden, possibly the first ever use of this refrain in such circumstances. A cappella music is vocal music or singing without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. ... Allianz Arena The Allianz Arena is a football stadium located in the north-Munich district of Fröttmaning. ... Sarah Terenzi (née Lewe; born June 13, 1980), better known as Sarah Connor, is one of the best selling Female Solo German pop singers of all time. ... In the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the knockout stage is the second and final stage of the World Cup, following the group stage. ...

Criticism

The song has frequently been criticised because of its generally nationalist theme, and because of the geographic definition of Germany given in the first stanza. The main negative associations come from the use by the Nazi Party, about 100 years after it was written.

Unlike many other anthems (e.g., La Marseillaise, God Save the Queen, The Star Spangled Banner), it does not praise nor even mention war in any way, which could have played a role in Germany's decision to continue using it after World War II. It was originally also thought of as a simple drinking song, which explains the reference to German wine and women in the second stanza. La Marseillaise (IPA: ; in English The Song of Marseille) is the national anthem of France. ... God Save the King/Queen is a patriotic hymn, and the national anthem of the United Kingdom. ... Nicholson took the copy Key gave him to a printer, where it was published as a broadside on September 17 under the title The Defence of Fort McHenry, with an explanatory note explaining the circumstances of its writing. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

However valid the propagandists' interpretation may have been in regard to the Nazis, it does not reflect Hoffmann's original intentions. He had actually meant that in times of strife, Germany's welfare must be put "above all else in the world." There was no real united Germany at that time, only a large number of scattered German states, and these were the real "world" above which Germany was supposed to be ranked, while no international claims were made. Hoffmann and many Germans longed for them all to finally unite, a wish that only came true (except for Austria) when the German Empire was proclaimed in Versailles in 1871. [2] The Nazi party used a right-facing swastika as their symbol and the red and black colors were said to represent Blut und Boden (blood and soil). ... Versailles (pronounced in French), formerly the de facto capital of the kingdom of France, is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and is still an important administrative and judicial center. ...

During the century after the song was written, the concept of nationalism changed drastically. In the middle of the 19th century, nationalism was a liberal, progressive idea aimed at overcoming monarchy and the often transnational borders these states had. By the middle of the 20th century, after two World Wars and the establishment of states often according to the nationality of people, nationalism had become, to the opinion of some, a conservative, chauvinist, jingoist or even fascist concept aimed at territorial expansion. Eugène Delacroixs Liberty Leading the People, symbolising French nationalism during the July Revolution. ... Progressivism is a term that refers to a broad school of contemporary international social and political philosophies. ... Forms of government Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A monarchy, from the Greek μονος, one, and αρχειν, to rule, is a form of government that has a monarch as head of state. ... Conservatism is a political philosophy that usually favors traditional values and strong foreign defense. ... Chauvinism is extreme and unreasoning partisanship on behalf of a group to which one belongs, especially when the partisanship includes malice and hatred towards a rival group. ... Jingoism is a term describing chauvinistic patriotism, usually with a hawkish political stance. ... Fascism (in Italian, fascismo), capitalized, was the authoritarian political movement which ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. ...

Variants and additions

Von Fallersleben also intended the text to be used as a drinking song; the second stanza's toast to German women and wine are typical of this genre. The original Heligoland manuscript includes a variant ending of the third stanza for such occasions: A drinking song is a song sung while drinking, that is, consuming alcohol. ... Two slices of toasted white bread. ...

In 1921, Albert Matthai wrote a stanza in reaction to Germany's losses in and after World War I. This stanza was never used as a national anthem and was not part of the Deutschlandlied. Combatants Allied Powers: Russian Empire France British Empire Italy United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary German Empire Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Commanders Nikolay II Aleksey Brusilov Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Ferdinand Foch Robert Nivelle Herbert H. Asquith D. Lloyd George Sir Douglas Haig Sir John Jellicoe Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna...

The German musician Nico would sometimes perform the national anthem at concerts and dedicate it to Andreas Baader, leader of the Red Army Faction who had died in a German prison. Her version was thought to be an attempt to re-interpret the anthem in a similar way to Jimi Hendrix's version of the Star Spangled Banner. She included a version of Das Lied der Deutschen on her 1973 album The End. For the prequel to Ico, see Shadow of the Colossus. ... Andreas Baader Andreas Baader (May 6, 1943 - October 18, 1977) was the first leader of the German revolutionary organization Red Army Faction, commonly known as the Baader-Meinhof gang. ... Red Army Faction Insignia - a Red Star and a Heckler & Koch MP5 The Red Army Faction (or Red Army Fraction; also commonly known as the Baader-Meinhof Group [or Gang]; in German: Rote Armee Fraktion or simply RAF), was postwar West Germanys most active and prominent left-wing terrorist... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Nicholson took the copy Key gave him to a printer, where it was published as a broadside on September 17 under the title The Defence of Fort McHenry, with an explanatory note explaining the circumstances of its writing. ... Nicos 1973 album, The End, was her fourth release. ...

Many other variants and parodies exist. in example

External links

• National Anthem of the Federal Republic of Germany. (Third stanza) Mp3 sound file
• Sheet music
• Deutsche Welle: Germans Stop Humming, Start Singing National Anthem