Latvia
Dievs, svētī Latviju!
Dievs, sveti Latviju!
God, Bless Latvia!
1873
1920
Karlis Baumanis
Karlis Baumanis
✝ God / Faith ❤ Love of homeland 🌅 Hope |
Context
Written and composed by Karlis Baumanis in 1873, during the First Latvian National Awakening. It was adopted as the national anthem in 1920 after Latvia declared independence. The anthem was banned during Soviet occupation and replaced with a Soviet anthem, but was restored in 1990.
Lyrics
Dievs, svētī Latviju,
Mūs dārgo tēviju,
Svētī jel Latviju,
Ak, svētī jel to!
Kur latvju meitas zied,
Kur latvju dēli dzied,
Laid mums tur laime diet,
Mūs Latvijā!
Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals
Interesting facts
- • Karlis Baumanis wrote both the lyrics and the melody, making it one of few anthems by a single creator
- • Originally the word 'Latvia' was replaced with 'Baltic' due to Russian Imperial censorship of national movements
- • The anthem was banned during the Soviet era (1940-1990) and publicly singing it could result in deportation to Siberia