Here are the lyrics to the Czech national anthem 'Kde domov můj', along with a brief history of the tune and words.
What is the Czech national anthem?
The national anthem of the Czech Republic is 'Kde domov můj'. The music was written by the Czech composer František Škroup. The lyrics, meanwhile, came from playwright Josef Kajetán Tyl.
It was originally composed as incidental music to a play, Fidlovačka aneb Žádný hněv a žádná rvačka (Fidlovačka, or No Anger and No Brawl), which was first performed in Prague on 21 December 1834. The song quickly became very popular with the Czech people, and became an informal 'anthem' while the country was under the control of the Habsburg empire.
When the nation of Czechoslovakia was formed in 1918, the first verse of the song became the Czech part of the national anthem. For the second part of the Czechoslovak national anthem, the nation chose the first verse of the Slovak song 'Nad Tatrou sa blýska' - nowadays the national anthem of Slovakia.
Then, when Czechoslovakia split into the two nations in December 1992, the Czech Republic retained 'Kde domov můj and Slovakia kept 'Nad Tatrou sa blýska', as their respective national anthems.
Links with Dvořák
In 1882, the great Czech composer Antonín Dvořák used 'Kde domov můj' as part of his incidental music to the play Josef Kajetán Tyl by František Ferdinand Šamberk. This overture is now often performed in its own right, and is known as Domov můj (My Home).
What does 'Kde domov můj' mean?
'Kde domov můj' translates into English as 'Where my home is'.
Czech national anthem lyrics in English
Where my home is, where my home is,
Water roars across the meadows,
Pinewoods rustle among rocks,
The orchard is glorious with spring blossom,
Paradise on earth it is to see.
And this is that beautiful land,
The Czech land, my home,
The Czech land, my home!
Where my home is, where my home is,
If, in the heavenly land, you have met
Slender souls in spry bodies,
Of clear mind, vigorous and prospering,
And with a strength that frustrates all defiance,
That is the glorious nation of Czechs
Among the Czechs (is) my home!
Among the Czechs, my home!
Czech national anthem lyrics in Czech
Kde domov můj, kde domov můj,
voda hučí po lučinách,
bory šumí po skalinách,
v sadě skví se jara květ,
zemský ráj to na pohled!
A to je ta krásná země,
země česká domov můj,
země česká domov můj!
Kde domov můj, kde domov můj,
v kraji znáš-li bohumilém
duše útlé v těle čilém,
mysl jasnou, vznik a zdar
a tu sílu vzdoru zmar,
to je Čechů slavné plémě
mezi Čechy domov můj!
mezi Čechy domov můj!
More national anthem lyrics
Need more national anthem lyrics? You can find the lyrics to lots more national anthems elsewhere on our website. Perhaps you're looking for the lyrics to the anthems of Czechia's Group F rivals at Euro 2024. Well, stay right here, as we also have the lyrics to the national anthem of Portugal, the Turkish national anthem, and the national anthem of Georgia.