English: Hymn of Bavaria | |
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The Bayernhymne published by Bavaria | |
Regional anthem of Bavaria | |
Lyrics | Michael Öchsner / Joseph Maria Lutz, 1946 |
Music | Max Kunz, 1835 |
Adopted | 1860 1946 (as regional anthem) |
Audio sample | |
External videos | |
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Video by the official YouTube channel of the Bavarian state government | |
Bayernhymne |
The Bayernhymne (Hymn of Bavaria) is the official anthem of Bavaria, Germany.
History
The melody of the song was written by Max Kunz in 1835. The text for the original first three stanzas was written by Michael Öchsner. Both men were members of the Bürger-Sänger-Zunft München (Citizen-Singers-Guild Munich), that first performed the song on December 15, 1860.
In 1946, the poet Joseph Maria Lutz wrote a new third stanza as a replacement for the Königsstrophe (King’s Stanza), since after the abdication of King Ludwig III in 1918, Bavaria has been without a king. He also replaced the Deutsche Erde (German soil) in the first stanza with Heimaterde (native soil).
In 1946, it was also officially recognised as the national anthem of Bavaria, and on July 29, 1966, the then prime minister of Bavaria, Alfons Goppel, chose the version written by Joseph Maria Lutz to be the official version.
In 1980, the Bavarian minister-president Franz Josef Strauß changed the official version to contain just the first two stanzas and switched Heimaterde back to Deutsche Erde, though the Heimaterde version is still widely used (for example, it was sung during the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to his native Bavaria in 2006, who also joined in singing this version).
The song, like most national anthems, contains many symbolic representations, including repeated allusions to the colours white and blue, Bavaria’s national colours, especially describing Bavaria's Himmel, which can refer to both sky and heaven. The march Bayerischer Defiliermarsch is often played along the hymn.
Current version
(According to the bulletin of the Bavarian prime minister on July 18, 1980.)
Gott mit dir, du Land der Bayern, deutsche Erde, Vaterland! |
God be with you, land of the Bavarians, German soil, fatherland! |
Variations
Version by Joseph Maria Lutz from 1946
Gott mit dir, du Land der Bayern, Heimaterde, Vaterland! |
God be with thee, land of the Bavarians, Native soil, fatherland! |
Michael Öchsner’s 1860 Poem
Gott mit dir, du Land der Bayern, deutsche Erde, Vaterland! |
God be with thee, Land of the Bavarians, German soil, fatherland! |
Later Text from Michael Öchsner
Gott mit dir, du Land der Bayern, deutsche Erde, Vaterland! |
God be with the, Land of the Bavarians, German soil, fatherland! |
References
External links
- Official site of the Bavarian Parliament (in German)
- Official site of the Bavarian Government (in German, includes audio)
German patriotic songs | |
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Holy Roman Empire | |
Wars of Liberation | |
German Confederation and Revolution of 1848 |
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North German Confederation and German Empire | |
Austria-Hungary and First Republic of Austria | |
Nazi Germany | |
Germany since 1945 |
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Category |