When was “Deutschlandlied” (also known as “Das Lied der Deutschen") adopted as the national anthem of Germany?

In 1922, during the Weimar Republic “Deutschlandlied”, or in English “Song of Germany” was decreed as the national anthem. The music dates back to the eighteenth century, written by Joseph Haydn for the birthday celebration of Emperor Francis II (Holy Roman Emperor and then Emperor of Austria). Lyrics for the song were written by August Heinrich Hoffman in 1841. The words used by Hoffman were very liberal for the time period, when Germany was not a unified country, but still a confederation of small states. The concept of a united Germany and other revolutionary ideas helped Hoffman lose his job shortly after composing the lyrics. The March Revolution of 1848 used the song with Hoffman’s lyrics as a symbol of German unity.

The music with different lyrics (the poem “God save Franz the Emperor”) became the official anthem for the Austrian Empire, after the dismantling of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918; Austria did not mind Germany using the music for their anthem.

After 1945, the anthem was banned in Germany, it was not until 1952 the German government opted to reintroduce “Das Lied der Deutschen” as the national anthem, but only the third stanza used in the singing of the anthem.

The anthem was also known by the refrain of the first stanza, “Deutschland, Deutschland über alles".