Adopted 1963 (1920) | ||
 | ||
Lyrics Jakob Josef Jauch, 1850 Music Unknown composer (uses the melody of "God Save the Queen") | ||
"Oben am jungen Rhein" ("High on the young Rhine") has been the national anthem of Liechtenstein since 1920. It shares the same melody as the United Kingdom's national anthem, "God Save the Queen", and Norway's royal anthem, Kongesangen, the only difference being an additional refrain at the end of the song.
Contents
History
The original lyrics were written in 1850 by Swiss pastor Jakob Josef Jauch (1802–1859), at a time when the Principality of Liechtenstein, which is considered the last remnant of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, was a member of the German Confederation. About a decade earlier, French claims to the left bank of the Rhine (Rhine Crisis of 1840) had triggered a series of German "Rhine songs". "Oben am jungen Rhein" was a number of early national anthems with the same tune as "God Save the Queen", but the only one that continues to use the tune. In 1963, the anthem was shortened, and references to Germany were removed.
Lyrics
Until 1963 the anthem's text was: