Die Wacht am Rhein (English: The Watch/Guard on the Rhine) is a German patriotic anthem. The song's origins are rooted in historical conflicts with France, and it was particularly popular in Germany during the Franco-Prussian War and the First World War. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Combatants France Prussia allied with German states (later German Empire) Commanders Napoleon III Helmuth von Moltke Strength 500,000 550,000 Casualties 150,000 dead or wounded 284,000 captured 350,000 civilian [citation needed] 100,000 dead or wounded 200,000 civilian [citation needed] The Franco-Prussian War (July... Combatants Allies: Serbia, Russia, France, Romania, Belgium, British Empire, United States, Italy, and others Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire Casualties Military dead: 5 million Civilian deaths: 3 million Total of dead: 8 million Military dead: 4 million Civilian deaths: 3 million Total dead: 7 million The First...

History

The lyrics were written as a poem in 1840 by the Swabian merchant Max Schneckenburger, inspired by the Rhine Crisis in the same year, when Adolphe Thiers, after being cornered due to his support for Muhammad Ali of Egypt, renewed French claims for the Rhine River as France's "natural eastern border". Germans feared that France was planning to annex the left bank of the Rhine, as it had done during the Napoleonic Wars a few decades earlier. In the two centuries from the Thirty Years' War to the final defeat of Napoleon, the German-speaking inhabitants of these lands suffered from repeated major and minor French invasions. 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... A Swabian is a native of Swabia, a place that is located in the south-west region of Germany. ... Max Schneckenburger (* 18 July 1819 in Talheim near Tuttlingen, Southern Germany; † 3 May 1849 in Burgdorf near Berne, Switzerland) is famous for writing a poem in 1840 that later became the patriotic hymn Die Wacht am Rhein. The younger brother of Matthias Schneckenburger was a co-owner or iron blast... A caricature of Adolphe Thiers charging on the Paris Commune, published in Le Père Duchêne illustré Louis Adolphe Thiers (April 16, 1797–September 3, 1877) was a French statesman and historian. ... Muhammad `AlÄ« Muhammad Ali Pasha (Arabic: محمد علي باشا) or Mehmet Ali PaÅŸa (Kavalalı Mehmet Ali PaÅŸa) in Turkish (c. ... The Rhine canyon (Ruinaulta) in Graubünden in Switzerland Length 1. ... Combatants Allies: • Great Britain/United Kingdom, • Prussia, • Austria, • Sweden, • Russia • France • Denmark-Norway • Poland Casualties Full list Full list The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars fought during Napoleon Bonapartes rule over France. ... The Thirty Years War was fought between 1618 and 1648, principally on the territory of todays Germany, also involving most of the major European continental powers. ...

Today, the lands along the left bank of the Rhine between Switzerland and the Netherlands are mainly part of Germany. The Saarland, Rheinland-Pfalz and Nordrhein-Westfalen are German federal states; Alsace and Lorraine are parts of France with a German background. Saarland is one of the 16 states of Germany. ... Rhineland-Palatinate (German Rheinland-Pfalz) is one of 16 Bundesländer of Germany. ... With eighteen million inhabitants inhabiting 34,080 km² in western-northwestern Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia (German Nordrhein-Westfalen) is largest in population though only fourth in area among Germanys sixteen federal states. ... Capital Strasbourg Land area¹ 8,280 km² Regional President Adrien Zeller (UMP) (since 1996) Population  - Jan. ... Moselle is a département in the northeast of France named after the Moselle River. ...

In the poem, with five original stanzas, a "thunderous call" is made for all Germans to rush and defend the German Rhine, to ensure that "no enemy sets his foot on the shore of the Rhine" (4th stanza). Two stanzas with a more specific text were added by others later.

Unlike the older Heil dir im Siegerkranz which praised a monarch, Die Wacht am Rhein and other songs written in this period, such as the Deutschlandlied (Germany's national anthem) and Was ist des Deutschen Vaterland? (What is the Germans' Fatherland?) by Ernst Moritz Arndt, called for Germans to unite, to put aside sectionalism and the rivalries of the various German kingdoms and principalities, to establish a unified German state, (not least) in order to be able to defend Germany. Heil dir im Siegerkranz (Hail to the Crown) was from 1871 to 1918 the national anthem of the German Empire. ... Das Lied der Deutschen (The Song of the Germans) or Das Deutschlandlied (The Song of Germany) has since 1922 been the national anthem of Germany. ... Ernst Moritz Arndt ( December 26, 1769 - January 29, 1860), German poet and patriot, was born at Schoritz in the island of Rügen, which at that time belonged to Sweden. ...

Author Max Schneckenburger worked in Switzerland, and his poem was first set to music in Berne by Swiss organist J. Mendel, and performed by tenor Methfessel for the Prussian ambassador, von Bunsen. This first version did not become very popular. Schneckenburger died in 1849 and never heard the more famous tune. Max Schneckenburger (* 18 July 1819 in Talheim near Tuttlingen, Southern Germany; † 3 May 1849 in Burgdorf near Berne, Switzerland) is famous for writing a poem in 1840 that later became the patriotic hymn Die Wacht am Rhein. The younger brother of Matthias Schneckenburger was a co-owner or iron blast... Location within Switzerland The city of Berne (Bernese German Bärn , German Bern , French Berne , Italian Berna , Romansh Berna , from the Celtic Berna Gap, referring to the geology of where the city is situated), is the Bundesstadt (administrative capital) of Switzerland, and is the fourth most populous Swiss city (after... An organist is a musician who plays the organ, whether pipe or electronic. ... In music, a tenor is a male singer with a high voice (although not as high as the modern countertenor). ... The national name Prussia (in Prussian: Prusa, German: Preußen, Polish: Prusy, Lithuanian Prusai, Latin: Prussia or Borussia) was used by a wide variety of political factions during the 2nd millennium. ...

When the musical director of the city of Krefeld, Karl Wilhelm, received the poem in 1854, he wrote a version of his own, and performed it with his men's choir on June 11, the day of the silver anniversary of the marriage of Prinz Wilhelm von Preussen, who would later become German Emperor Wilhelm I. This version was spread in song festivals. Krefeld is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... Die Wacht am Rhein (English: The Watch/Guard on the Rhine) is a German patriotic anthem. ... 1854 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... A choir or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. ... June 11 is the 162nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (163rd in leap years), with 203 days remaining. ... Kaiser is a German title meaning emperor, derived from the Roman title of Caesar, as is the Slavic title of Czar. ... Wilhelm I of Germany Wilhelm I, (March 22, 1797 - March 9, 1888), German Emperor (Kaiser), ruled January 18, 1871-1888 and king of Prussia, ruled 1861-1888. ...

In response to the Ems Dispatch incident, which occurred in Bad Ems, not far from the Rhine, France initiated the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. In the aftermath of the subsequent French defeat the German Empire was established in 1871. The song became famous, and both the composer and the family of the author were honoured, and granted an annual pension by Bismarck. The Ems Dispatch (sometimes called the Ems Telegram) is the document that instigated the Franco-Prussian War. ... Bad Ems is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. ... Combatants France Prussia allied with German states (later German Empire) Commanders Napoleon III Helmuth von Moltke Strength 500,000 550,000 Casualties 150,000 dead or wounded 284,000 captured 350,000 civilian [citation needed] 100,000 dead or wounded 200,000 civilian [citation needed] The Franco-Prussian War (July... Flag of the German Empire, 1871–1918: black-white-red The German Empire is the name conventionally given in English to the German state from the time of the proclamation of Wilhelm I of Prussia as German Emperor (January 18, 1871) to the abdication of Wilhelm II (November 9, 1918). ...

Text

The following is the complete text of the original five verses of the Die Wacht am Rhein, plus additions. The translations are not directly literal, but they rhyme and portray the meaning of the poem:

Trivia

The Watch on the Rhine was, after and in two World Wars until 1945, one of the most popular songs in Germany, almost rivaling the Deutschlandlied as the de-facto national anthem.

The so-called German-French hereditary hostility ended in 1963 with the Elysée treaty, so that the danger of a French invasion that loomed for centuries over Germany no longer existed. Today, the song has only historical significance in Germany and is rarely sung or orchestrally performed. Singer Heino perfomed it on a record, though. 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... The Franco-German cooperation or the Franco-German locomotive are terms used to describe the highly collaborative countries of France and Germany, especially in the context of European Union. ... The one and only Heino! Heino (born December 13, 1938 Düsseldorf as Heinz Georg Kramm) is a German singer of popular music (Schlager and Volksmusik). ...

• The Wacht am Rhein was sung by German soldiers in the movie "Casablanca", who then were "drowned out" by exile French singing the "Marseillaise".
• the expression Er/sie hat einen Ruf wie Donnerhall is used for describing someone who has a very strong, intimidating reputation for something

In several fictional settings, the song plays a role. When it is sung in the movie Casablanca, it is drowned out by La Marseillaise which is sung in response; these two songs were juxtaposed in exactly the same way five years earlier, in Jean Renoir's 1937 film La Grande Illusion. It provides the title for Lillian Hellman's cautionary pre-World War II play Watch on the Rhine. Its melody is adapted by Kander and Ebb in their musical play and movie Cabaret as a fictional Nazi anthem, "Tomorrow Belongs to Me", meant to be reminiscent both of Die Wacht am Rhein and the Horst Wessel Lied. This article is about the film. ... This article is about the anthem La Marseillaise. A sculpture popularly called La Marseillaise is part of the sculptural programme of the Arc de Triomphe. ... Casablanca is a 1942 movie set during World War II in the Vichy-controlled Moroccan city of Casablanca. ... La Marseillaise IPA: is the national anthem of France. ... Grand Illusion (1937) poster for American release, depicting actors Jean Gabin (as Lt. ... Lillian Hellman Lillian Florence Hellman (June 20, 1905 – June 30, 1984) was an American playwright, romantically involved for thirty years with mystery and crime writer Dashiell Hammett. ... Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II... Kander and Ebb is the songwriting team of composer John Kander, born March 18, 1927 and lyricist Fred Ebb (April 8, 1933 - September 11, 2004). ... Cabaret is a form of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue — a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting around the tables (often dining or drinking) watching the performance. ... 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 Nazi Party of Germany, chosen to glorify Horst Wessel as a Nazi martyr. ...

The song's title was also used as the codename for the World War II German offensive in 1944 known today as the Battle of the Bulge. Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... Combatants United States United Kingdom Germany Commanders Dwight D. Eisenhower Gerd von Rundstedt Strength Dec 16 - start of the Battle: about 83,000 men; 242 Sherman tanks, 182 tank destroyers, and 394 pieces of corps and divisional artillery. ...

After the end of World War II, the song's popularity in Germany dropped sharply. Few Germans born and raised after the war know it.

The tune for the alma mater of Yale University, "Bright College Years" [1] was taken from Carl Wilhelm's "Die Wacht am Rhein", with new lyrics written by Henry Durand in 1881 to the "splendid tune" [2]. Yale redirects here. ...

External links

• http://ingeb.org/Lieder/esbraust.html "Die Wacht am Rhein" on ingeb.org (English)
• http://www.wacht-am-rhein.de/ Website of a Restaurant in Koblenz
• Die Wacht am Rhein (text and sound files)
• Alexander MacGregor Rose (refrain translation)
• Casablanca - German-Hollywood Connection