Switzerland
- Language
- German
- Anthem
- Swiss Psalm
- Duration
- 1:11
- Status
- The "Swiss Psalm" remains the official national anthem of Switzerland, despite a public contest in the mid-2010s to find new, more modern lyrics.
Switzerland National Anthem History
Swiss Psalm · Schweizerpsalm
The "Swiss Psalm" originated in 1841 when Alberik Zwyssig set a patriotic poem to music. After decades of popular use and several rejections for official status, it was finally adopted as Switzerland's national anthem in 1981.
Switzerland
Swiss Psalm
History timeline
-
1841
Alberik Zwyssig composed the "Schweizerpsalm" by setting Leonhard Widmer's patriotic poem to a hymn tune he created earlier.
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1894-1953
Repeated attempts to declare the "Schweizerpsalm" the official anthem were rejected by the government, citing popular opinion.
-
1961
The "Swiss Psalm" was provisionally adopted as the national anthem, as the previous anthem shared a melody with "God Save the King".
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1981
After decades of popular use and provisional status, the "Swiss Psalm" was officially declared the Swiss national anthem.
-
2014
A public contest was launched to find new lyrics for the anthem to better reflect modern Swiss society and identity.
The "Swiss Psalm" was provisionally adopted because Switzerland's previous national anthem used the same melody as the British anthem, "God Save the King (Queen)".