Which stanza of Germany’s “Deutschlandlied” is the country’s official national anthem?

The third stanza of Germany’s “Deutschlandlied” is the country’s official national anthem.

Germany uses the section beginning “Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit,” translated as “Unity and justice and freedom.” The Federal Republic of Germany officially confirmed the third stanza as the national anthem in 1991, after correspondence between Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker and Chancellor Helmut Kohl.

The poem was written by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben in 1841, while Joseph Haydn’s melody was composed in 1797. The words and music therefore originated in different periods and were later brought together as a patriotic song.

The first stanza is strongly associated with German nationalism and Nazi-era use, so it is not performed as the national anthem today. The second stanza is also not official. At state ceremonies, Germany normally performs only the third stanza, making “Germany, Germany above all” an incorrect answer for the current anthem text.