German National Anthem

The German national anthem consists only of the third stanza of the Deutschlandlied by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben (1841). The melody was written by Joseph Haydn in 1796-97.

Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit
für das deutsche Vaterland!
Danach lasst uns alle streben
brüderlich mit Herz und Hand!
Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit
sind des Glückes Unterpfand:
|: Blüh im Glanze dieses Glückes,
blühe, deutsches Vaterland! :|

When did the third verse of the Deutschlandlied become the national anthem?

A few months after the reunification of Germany in 1990, Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker and Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl made the express decision in 1991 that only the third verse would be used as the national anthem. As a result, only this verse is specially protected as an official national symbol and a constitutional principle. Unlike in countries such as France or Poland, however, the German national anthem is not directly enshrined in the constitution or determined by law. Between 1952 and 1991, the national anthem consisted of all verses of the hymn, though only the third verse was sung on official occasions.

Why does the national anthem only consist of the third verse?

August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben composed the Deutschlandlied (“Song of the Germans”) in 1841 on the island of Heligoland, which was British at that time. At this time in history, the German-speaking world was made up of numerous individual states, some of them large and some smaller in size. Von Fallersleben was opposed to this fragmentation and advocated German unity. The words he used in his poem can easily be misunderstood today. What is more, the area in which the German language is spoken is much larger than the national territory of modern-day Germany. Since these potential misunderstandings are not compatible with the national identity of the Federal Republic of Germany, the first and second verses of the Deutschlandlied are omitted.

What was the role of the hymn in German history?

Haydn’s “Song of the Germans” was frequently sung during the revolutionary years of 1848/1849 as a way of showing support for a united Germany, but it then increasingly fell into oblivion. It was subsequently revived as the national anthem in 1922 during the Weimar Republic, at the instigation of Reich President Friedrich Ebert. Since the words appealed to national sentiment, the government hoped it would enhance popular support for the young democratic state. The National Socialists retained the hymn as the national anthem after seizing power in 1933 – in particular because the words of the first verse appeared to legitimise their planned war of conquest. At official events, it was always played and sung as an anthem together with the NSDAP’s battle hymn (Horst-Wessel-Lied). This is another important reason why only the third verse continues to be used as the German national anthem today.

Where does the melody of the German national anthem come from?

Austrian composer Joseph Haydn wrote the melody in 1796/97 for Francis II, Emperor of Austria and Hungary. Originally composed as the anthem Gott erhalte Franz, den Kaiser in praise of the emperor, it was sung as the imperial anthem in Austria up until the end of the empire in 1867, with the words differing depending on the emperor.