Ons Heemecht and De Wilhelmus – Luxembourg's anthems

Listen to the podcast episode right here or continue reading down below.

Ons Heemescht: the soul of the nation

In 1859, Luxembourg poet Michel Lentz penned the lyrics to Ons Heemecht, later set to music by Jean-Antoine Zinnen in 1864. The song premiered on 5 June that year in Ettelbruck, where the Alzette and Sauer rivers – both mentioned in the lyrics – converge. By 1895, it had become the de facto national anthem, a status formalised in 1993 when the first and last stanzas were legally recognised as Luxembourg’s official anthem.

These are the facts – but what deeper meaning does the anthem hold?

In Anthem Quality (2014), Australian literary critic Christopher Kelen argues that national anthems are more than reflections of a nation – they actively shape its identity. He describes them as "sites of powerful collective affect," with lyrics that become sacred symbols of national belonging.

When Michel Lentz wrote Ons Heemecht in 1859, he was not just composing a patriotic poem; he was engaged in mythmaking. His words celebrate Luxembourg’s 1839 independence – "Freedom's sun in glory glow" – but they also evoke a timeless national identity, framing the country's liberation from the "foreign yoke" as a return to its rightful place in the hearts of its people.

Michel Lentz / © Public domain

Writing in 1989, Luxembourg researcher Sepp Simon argued that the significance of Lentz’s words lay not only in their content but in his choice of language. While Luxembourgish had long been the vernacular of ordinary people, it had at times faced suppression or become a symbol of resistance.

By writing in Luxembourgish, Simon contends, Lentz made a 'conscious political act'. Alongside contemporaries like Edmond de la Fontaine (whose father was Luxembourg's first Prime Minister) and Michel Rodange (author of Renert, Luxembourg's most famous fable), he deliberately asserted a distinct Luxembourgish culture and nation amid the influence of its French- and German-speaking neighbours.

Listen to a jazzy version of Ons Heemecht right here, performed for National Day celebrations in June 2020.

As Kellen explains, the words – and the specific language – of an anthem, when set to music and sung collectively, transcend mere song or national symbol. They become the nation's soul:

"In singing the anthem, persons who might otherwise be in conversation or dissension… abandon other habitual ways of being for a moment of self-recognition, of mutual agreement, and of self-congratulation… Anthem singing would appear to be profoundly meaningful and even deeply moving, on occasions."

De Wilhelmus: the other anthem

Luxembourg has a second, and much older, anthem due to its status as a Grand Duchy. This is the royal anthem, distinct from the national anthem, and is played whenever a member of the Grand Ducal family enters or leaves an official ceremony.

Sharing its origins with the Dutch national anthem of the same name, De Wilhelmus is believed to date back to at least the sixteenth century. Thought to be based on a trumpet call or cavalry fanfare, it reflects the militaristic traditions of early modern Europe.

Its association with the Grand Ducal family became more explicit in the late nineteenth century, coinciding with the popularisation of Ons Heemecht. In 1883, when Dutch King William III and Queen Emma visited Luxembourg, the melody was included in Philippe Manternach's march Vive le roi! Vive la reine!

A few years later, Grand Duke Adolphe was greeted with a medley of De Wilhelmus and Ons Heemecht, cementing both melodies as symbols of the Grand Ducal family and the nation.

In 1919, Luxembourg poet Nikolaus 'Nik' Welter composed lyrics for the anthem to mark the marriage of Grand Duchess Charlotte and Prince Félix. He described it as "an anthem for the House of Luxembourg-Nassau-Bourbon". The words were first performed on 23 January 1920 by the cathedral choir at the Te Deum.

Unlike the lyrics of Ons Heemecht, De Wilhelmus is royalist in tone, calling for the House of Luxembourg to stand "hand in hand" with the people as they fulfil their duty "for throne and country". It merges the Grand Duchy with "the people of the Luxembourg land", asserting that no outside force shall uproot this "strong trunk on ancient soil".

The original text in Luxembourgish is available here..

The national anthem today

Today, Ons Heemecht is a familiar emblem of Luxembourg’s identity, much like national anthems elsewhere – whether it’s the stirring strains of La Marseillaise on Bastille Day or the rowdy choruses of God Save the Queen at English football and rugby matches.

It features prominently in official ceremonies, from National Day’s military parade through the capital to state occasions like the 2012 wedding of Prince Guillaume and Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy at Notre-Dame Cathedral.

Whether echoing through stadiums or accompanying royal celebrations, Luxembourg's national anthem is woven into the nation’s fabric.

Thank you for tuning in! Now what are you waiting for – download and listen, on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.