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 1919 officially and 1918 unofficially.

History
Before the foundation of the Empire in 1871, it had been the royal anthem of Prussia since 1795 and remained it after 1871. The melody of the hymn derived from the British anthem "God Save the King", but it also was never recognized by the southern German states, such as Bavaria and Württemberg.Fehrenbach, Elisabeth. Politischer Umbruch und gesellschaftliche Bewegung: ausgewählte Aufsätze zur Geschichte Frankreichs und Deutschlands im 19. Jahrhundert. Oldenburg, 1997. p. 312. After World War I, the German Empire came to an end and "Das Lied der Deutschen" became the national anthem of the Weimar Republic.. Die Geschichte der Deutschen. p. 131.

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Category:German anthems
Category:German Empire
Category:Historical anthems
Category:1790s songs