Auferstanden aus Ruinen
| English: Risen from Ruins | |
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Sheet music of the National anthem of the GDR.
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National anthem of  East Germany
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| Lyrics | Johannes R. Becher, 1949 |
| Music | Hanns Eisler, 1949 |
| Adopted | 1949 by East Germany |
| Relinquished | 3 October 1990 by East Germany due to German reunification |
| Music sample | |
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"Auferstanden aus Ruinen" (German for "Risen from Ruins") was the national anthem of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), commonly known as East Germany, during its existence from 1949 to 1990.
In 1949, the Soviet occupation zone of Allied-occupied Germany became a Socialist state called the German Democratic Republic (GDR). For its anthem, the poet Johannes R. Becher, who later became Minister of Culture, wrote the lyrics. Two musicians proposed music to Becher's lyrics, and the version of Hanns Eisler was selected.
Written in 1949, the anthem reflects the early stages of German separation, in which continuing progress towards reunification of the occupation zones was seen by most Germans as appropriate and natural. Consequently, Becher's lyrics develop several connotations of "unity" and combine them with "fatherland" (einig Vaterland), meaning Germany as a whole. However, this concept soon would not conform to an increasingly icy Cold War context, especially after the Berlin Wall had been erected in 1961 by the East German government.
In 1973, East and West Germany were admitted to the United Nations simultaneously, following talks between the two governments that conferred a degree of mutual recognition. The term Germany was later removed from the GDR constitution, and only the anthem's tune was played on official occasions. No new lyrics were ever written to replace Becher's which continued to be used unofficially, especially after die Wende in late 1989: once it became clear that the countries were moving towards Reunification, GDR television Deutscher Fernsehfunk reinstated the work and signed off every night with a joyous symphonic rendition of the vocal arrangement, accompanying picturesque footage of East Germany's main tourist attractions.
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Wikipedia