National Anthem Comparison
Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Croatia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Intermeco
Comparison Analysis
Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, both Europe nations, take distinct approaches to their national anthems. Bosnia and Herzegovina's "Intermeco" was written in 1998, while Croatia's "Our Beautiful Homeland" dates to 1835.
The two anthems take different thematic approaches. Bosnia and Herzegovina's focuses on , while Croatia's centers on nature, love of homeland, ancestors / heritage and identity.
The emotional tones differ: Bosnia and Herzegovina's anthem is solemn, while Croatia's is proud.
Croatia's anthem predates Bosnia and Herzegovina's by 163 years, having been written in 1835 compared to 1998.
Bosnia and Herzegovina changed its national anthem in 1999, reflecting a shift in the nation's identity or political landscape.
Shared themes
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Croatia
Metadata
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Croatia | |
|---|---|---|
| Written | 1998 | 1835 |
| Adopted | 1999 | 1972 |
| Lyricist | Instrumental (no official lyrics) | Antun Mihanović |
| Composer | Dušan Šestić | Josip Runjanin |
| Language | bs | hr |
| Region | Southern Europe | Southern Europe |
Lyrics Side by Side
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Intermeco
Instrumental (no lyrics)
Croatia
Lijepa naša domovino
Original
Translation
Interesting facts
Bosnia and Herzegovina
- 1. The anthem is one of only a handful in the world that has no official lyrics; the wordlessness is itself a deliberate political compromise among Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs.
- 2. It came into force on 25 June 1999, on an interim basis, by decision of High Representative Carlos Westendorp under his Bonn powers: the House of Representatives had passed the law, but the House of Peoples could not agree on its text.
- 3. The previous anthem, "Jedna si jedina," was arranged by Dino Merlin from the Bosnian folk song "S one strane Plive"; many Bosniaks still sing it informally.
- 4. Proposed lyrics beginning "Ti si svjetlost duše," written by composer Dušan Šestić with Benjamin Isović, were accepted by a parliamentary commission in 2009 but have never been approved by parliament.
Croatia
- 1. The words first appeared on 14 March 1835 in the literary paper Danica, as "Horvatska domovina" ("Croatian Homeland"), during the Croatian National Revival
- 2. The melody has often been compared with the duet of Edgardo and Enrico in Act 3 of Donizetti's opera Lucia di Lammermoor (1835); whether Runjanin borrowed from it is still debated
- 3. The official anthem uses adapted versions of the first two and the last two stanzas of Mihanović's poem
- 4. In 1907 the Association of Croatian Singing Societies asked the Croatian Sabor to make the song the state anthem by law; the initiative failed, and it remained Croatia's unofficial anthem until 1972
Listen
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Croatia
