Deutschlandlied

Deutschlandlied, also known as the Song of Germany, is the national anthem of Germany. The music comes from Joseph Haydn’s Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser, composed in 1797. The German lyrics were written by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben in 1841, and the poem consists of three stanzas.

The three stanzas of the Deutschlandlied address different aspects of German identity. The first stanza begins with “Deutschland, Deutschland über alles” and expresses a call for national unity. The second stanza mentions the German lands, using lines such as “Von der Maas bis an die Memel, Von der Etsch bis an den Belt.” The third stanza, which is the one currently used in official contexts, starts with “Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit” and emphasizes unity, justice, and freedom. In modern practice, the first two stanzas are generally not performed at official events due to their historical associations with nationalism and the imperial and Nazi eras.

Historically, after World War II, West Germany adopted the third stanza as its national anthem in 1952. The arrangement remained the national anthem after German reunification in 1990. East Germany had its own separate anthem, Auferstanden aus Ruinen, and did not use the Deutschlandlied as its national symbol. The Deutschlandlied remains tied to the symbol of the German flag (black-red-gold) and is performed at state occasions with official protocol.

Today, the Deutschlandlied is widely recognized in Germany and abroad. Its official status is governed by German law and constitutional practice, and in formal settings only the third stanza is typically sung.