Croatia
Lijepa naša domovino
Lijepa nasa domovino
Our Beautiful Homeland
1835
1972
Antun Mihanovic
Josip Runjanin
🌿 Nature ❤ Love of homeland 🏺 Ancestors / Heritage 🏛 Identity |
Key Facts
- 1. One of the oldest national anthems in Europe, written during the Croatian National Revival of the 1830s
- 2. The melody bears resemblance to a Donizetti opera passage, suggesting the composer was inspired by Italian opera
- 3. Only the first and last stanzas of the original poem are used in the official anthem
Lyrics
Lijepa naša domovino,
Oj junačka zemljo mila,
Stare slave djedovino,
Da bi vazda sretna bila!
Mila, kano si nam slavna,
Mila si nam ti jedina,
Mila, kuda si nam ravna,
Mila, kuda si planina!
Teci Dravo, Savo teci,
Nit' ti Dunav silu gubi,
Sinje more svijetu reci,
Da svoj narod Hrvat ljubi.
Dok mu njive sunce grije,
Dok mu hrašće bura vije,
Dok mu mrtve grob sakrije,
Dok mu živo srce bije!
Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals
Analysis
EditorialWritten by Antun Mihanovic in 1835 during the Illyrian movement, a cultural and political movement among South Slavs. The music was composed by Josip Runjanin based on a melody by Donizetti. It was first performed in 1846.