"Deutschösterreich, du herrliches Land" ('German-Austria, Thou Wonderful Land') was the de facto national anthem of Austria, used from 1920 to 1929. Its lyrics were written by Chancellor Karl Renner in 1920, while the melody was composed by Wilhelm Kienzl. The Republic of German-Austria was formed in 1918 as the successor to the multinational Austro-Hungarian Empire in its predominantly German speaking part. The government and population was much in favour of a unification with Germany, the German nation-state that had been formed in 1871 but had excluded Austria. However, the victors of World War I demanded that Austria remained a separate country. In the Treaty of Versailles, there was a prohibition of unification. Under the provisions of the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919), German Austria had to change its name to simply Austria.

Lyrics