The "Preußenlied" ("Song of Prussia," in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

) served as the

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...

of the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

, from 1830 to 1840. Because of its opening lyrics, it has also been known as "Ich bin ein Preuße, kennt ihr meine Farben?" ("I am a Prussian, know ye my colours?").

History

Bernard Thiersch Bernard (''Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It has West Germanic origin and is also a surname. The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''bern ...

(1793–1855), the director of a

Dortmund Dortmund (; ; ) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the List of cities in Germany by population, ninth-largest city in Germany. With a population of 614,495 inhabitants, it is the largest city ...

gymnasium, wrote the first six verses of the song in

Halberstadt Halberstadt (; Eastphalian dialect, Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt in central Germany, the capital of Harz (district), Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town ...

to honor the birthday of King

Frederick William III of Prussia Frederick William III (; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, when the empire was dissolved ...

in 1830. The melody was composed in 1832 by August Neithardt (1793–1861), the Royal Music Director of the 2nd Garde-Grenadier-Regiment of the Prussian Army. The sixth verse alluded to the 1848 Battle of Dybbøl during the

First Schleswig War The First Schleswig War (), also known as the Schleswig-Holstein uprising () and the Three Years' War (), was a military conflict in southern Denmark and northern Germany rooted in the Schleswig–Holstein question: who should control the Du ...

. Dr. F. Th. Schneider added the seventh verse in 1851.''Der Klavierlehrer'' 17 (1894), S. 158.
/ref> The "Preußenlied" replaced the previous anthem, "Borussia", and was then succeeded by "

Heil dir im Siegerkranz "" (; ) was the imperial anthem of the German Empire from 1871 to 1918, and previously the royal anthem of Prussia from 1795 to 1918. Before the foundation of the Empire in 1871, it had been the royal anthem of Prussia since 1795 and remained a ...

". Because almost all Germans east of the

Oder The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through wes ...

were expelled after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, "Preußenlied" is sometimes sung by refugee organizations, such as the

Territorial Association of East Prussia A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...

. It almost always has nationalistic undertones. PreusseNeithardt

Lyrics

References

External links

Preußenlied at Preußen-chronik.de
***link not found

Sheet music
{{DEFAULTSORT:Preussenlied 1830 songs Historical national anthems German anthems Culture of Prussia European anthems Songs about Germany Frederick William III of Prussia