August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben, “Das Lied der Deutschen” (1841)

Source: Archival description: In this song of praise for his German homeland, the Germanist and poet August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben appeals to the unity of the fatherland in contrast to the small-state reality of the German Confederation. The poem was published by Campe (a Hamburg-based publisher) as early as September 1, 1841. This manuscript from Hoffmann von Fallersleben’s estate is one of at least two surviving handwritten copies of the poem; it is not known whether this or another copy is the “original.” The work became the German national anthem in 1922. Since 1952, the third stanza has been used as the anthem of the Federal Republic of Germany. Manuscript Department, Berlin State Library—Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation. Scan: image number 70140823, bpk-bildagentur.