German Empire (1871-1918) "Heil dir im Siegerkranz and Versailler Festmarsch"

In celebration of the Coronation of Kaiser Wilhelm I at the Palace of Versailles on January 18th 1871.

Gott Mitt Uns !

"Heil dir im Siegerkranz" (German for "Hail to Thee in Victor's Crown") was from 1871 to 1918 the unofficial national anthem of the German Empire. Previously, it had been the anthem of Prussia, the melody of the hymn derived from the British anthem "God Save the Queen". For these reasons, the song failed to become popular within all of Germany. Not only did it fail to win the support of most German nationalists, it was never recognized by the southern German states, such as Bavaria or Württemberg. After World War I, the German Empire came to an end and "Das Lied der Deutschen" became the national anthem of the Weimar Republic.
"Die Wacht am Rhein" ("The Watch on the Rhine") was a second hymn used during the German Empire that could also be denoted as a national anthem in that period.
Heinrich Harries wrote the lyrics in 1790 in honour of King Christian VII of Denmark, and the line "Heil, Kaiser, dir" originally read "Heil, Christian, dir". In 1793, Harries' text was adapted by Balthasar Gerhard Schumacher for use in Prussia. Schumarcher shortened Harries' text and replaced the word Christian with the word König (king). After the proclamation of the German Empire, the word König was replaced by Kaiser (emperor).