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

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **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 n ...

of the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Re ...

, 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?").Lilian Dalbiac. ''Dictionary of Quotations (German)''. Swan Sonnenschein. New York. 1906. p. 196.

History

Bernard Thiersch (1793–1855), the director of a

Dortmund Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...

gymnasium, wrote the first six verses of the song in

Halberstadt Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the capital of Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town center that was greatly destroyed by Allied bombi ...

to honor the birthday of King

Frederick William III of Prussia Frederick William III (german: Friedrich Wilhelm 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, wh ...

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. Dr. F. Th. Schneider added the seventh verse in 1851. (However, the sixth verse below refers to a battle at Dybbøl that took place in 1864, i.e. apparently after the song was written!) The "Preußenlied" replaced the previous anthem, , and was then succeeded by "

Heil dir im Siegerkranz "" (; German for "Hail to Thee in the Victor's Crown", literally: "Hail to Thee in the Victor's Wreath") was the official national anthem of the German Empire from 1871 to 1918 and royal anthem of Prussia from 1795 to 1918. Before the foundatio ...

". Because almost all Germans east of the

Oder The Oder ( , ; Czech, Lower Sorbian and ; ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river in total length and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows thr ...

were expelled after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the "Preußenlied" is sometimes sung by refugee organizations, such as the Territorial Association of East Prussia. It almost always has nationalistic undertones. PreusseNeithardt

Lyrics

References

External links

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

Sheet music
{{DEFAULTSORT:Preussenlied 19th-century songs Historical national anthems German anthems Culture of Prussia European anthems Songs about Germany