Europe

European anthem

Europe's anthem is the melody of the ‘Ode to Joy’ from the finale of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, adopted by the Council of Europe in 1972 and by the EU in 1985. It is deliberately played without lyrics.

💡 Did you know? Lyrics were left out so that none of Europe's many languages would be favoured: the melody alone is meant to speak for everyone.

Germany

The German anthem is the third verse of the ‘Deutschlandlied’; the melody was written by Joseph Haydn (1797).

💡 Did you know? Haydn originally wrote the melody as an imperial anthem for Austria.

France

‘La Marseillaise’ was written in 1792 as a revolutionary song and is one of the most militant anthems in the world.

💡 Did you know? It got its name because volunteers from Marseille sang it while marching on Paris.

United Kingdom

‘God Save the King’ (or Queen) is one of the oldest national anthems still in use.

💡 Did you know? Its melody has been borrowed by many countries: even the old German imperial anthem used it.

Italy

The Italian anthem ‘Il Canto degli Italiani’ (also ‘Fratelli d’Italia’) dates from 1847.

💡 Did you know? It was only a provisional anthem for decades and was made official by law only in 2017.

Spain

The ‘Marcha Real’ is one of the few national anthems in the world with no official lyrics at all.

💡 Did you know? Because there are no words, fans often just hum along with ‘lo-lo-lo’.

Portugal

‘A Portuguesa’ was written in 1890 as a patriotic protest song and became the anthem in 1911.

💡 Did you know? In the chorus, ‘against the British’ was later softened to ‘against the cannons’.

Netherlands

‘Het Wilhelmus’ is considered the oldest national anthem in the world: its text dates from the 16th century.

💡 Did you know? The first letters of its 15 verses spell out the name ‘Willem van Nassov’.

Belgium

‘La Brabançonne’ was written in 1830 during the Belgian Revolution.

💡 Did you know? It is sung in French, Dutch and German: Belgium's three official languages.

Switzerland

The ‘Swiss Psalm’ became Switzerland's official anthem only in 1981.

💡 Did you know? Because of its strongly religious text, a new anthem is occasionally discussed.

Austria

Austria's anthem ‘Land der Berge, Land am Strome’ is often attributed to Mozart.

💡 Did you know? In 2012 the lyrics were amended to include ‘great daughters’: previously only ‘sons’ were mentioned.

Sweden

Sweden's ‘Du gamla, du fria’ is the anthem by custom; there is no law making it official.

💡 Did you know? The name ‘Sweden’ originally does not appear in the lyrics at all.