"" is 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 ...

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

. Created in 1873 as a patriotic song, it did not gain official status until 1920.

History

The music and lyrics were written in 1873 by

Kārlis Baumanis Kārlis Baumanis (11 May 1835 – 10 January 1905), better known as Baumaņu Kārlis, was an ethnic Latvian composer in the Russian Empire. He is the author of the lyrics and music of ''Dievs, svētī Latviju! '' (“God bless Latvia!”), the n ...

, a teacher who was part of the Young Latvian nationalist movement. It is thought that Baumanis was inspired by a popular song "Dievs, svētī Kurzemi/Vidzemi" (, which was modified depending on the region it was used in) that was sung to the tune of "

God Save the King "God Save the King" ("God Save the Queen" when the monarch is female) is ''de facto'' the national anthem of the United Kingdom. It is one of national anthems of New Zealand, two national anthems of New Zealand and the royal anthem of the Isle ...

". Baumanis's lyrics were different from the modern ones: he used the term "

Baltics The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term encompassing Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, and the OECD. The three sovereign states on the eastern co ...

" synonymously and interchangeably with "Latvia" and "Latvians", so "Latvia" was actually mentioned only at the beginning of the first verse. Later, the term "Latvia" was removed and replaced with "Baltics" to avoid a ban on the song. This has led to the misapprehension that the term "Latvia" was not part of the song until it was chosen as national anthem on June 7, 1920, and the word "Baltics" was replaced with "Latvia". During the occupation of Latvia by the Soviet Union, the singing of "Dievs, svētī Latviju" was banned. The subsequently-established

Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic (Also known as the Latvian SSR, or Latvia) was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1941, and then from 1944 until 1990. The Soviet occupation and annexation of Latvia began between J ...

had its own

anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to sho ...

. "Dievs, svētī Latviju" was restored as the state anthem of Latvia on February 15, 1990 – shortly before independence on May 4.

Performance

The anthem's tune was modernized with a new F-major version that has been used since 2014; formerly, a G-major version was used on LTV's sign-on and sign-offs daily from 2011 to 2013. However, the G-major version was still played on any occasion (especially and notably, during times of mourning). The current version played on LTV for their sign-on and sign-offs daily is in the key of

B-flat major B-flat major is a major scale based on B, with pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two flats. Its relative minor is G minor and its parallel minor is B-flat minor. The B-flat major scale is: Changes needed for ...

Lyrics

Current official

Other uses

* The Viesturdārzs park of

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

have a monument to Kārlis Baumanis with the music sheet of on it. * Latvian

2 euro coin The 2 euro coin (€2) is the highest-value euro coins, euro coin and has been used since the introduction of the euro (in its cash form) in 2002. The coin is made of two alloys: the inner part of nickel brass, the outer part of copper-nickel. A ...

s bear the inscription around the edge.

Notes

References

External links

The National Anthem
— the websit
"Welcome to Latvia"
has a page about the national anthem with information, sheet music, and sound files.
Latvia: ''Dievs, svētī Latviju!'' - Audio of the national anthem of Latvia, with information and lyricsarchive link

Anthem
sung at the Latvian Song and Dance Festival in Latvia
Anthem
pipe organ recordings of Christian hymns and sung in church {{DEFAULTSORT:Dievs, Sveti Latviju! National symbols of Latvia European anthems Music of Latvia National anthems Compositions in F major Compositions in B-flat major 1873 songs