Here are the lyrics to the national anthem of Slovakia. You'll be interested to know that it takes its theme from stormy weather over the famous mountain range that crosses much of Slovakia...
What does 'Nad Tatrou sa blýska' mean?
'Nad Tatrou sa blýska' means 'Lightning over the Tatras'. The anthem narrates a storm over the Tatra mountains, the impressive mountain range that crosses the country. This storm represents, in the song, a danger to the Slovak people, and the lyrics hope for a happy resolution.
The origins of the anthem are in Central European activism of the 19th century. Later, it became one of the two national anthems of Czechoslovakia, along with the Czech national anthem. Then, when in 1993 Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic, the second stanza was added to the first. The resulting work became the national anthem of the new Slovakian nation.
Slovakia national anthem lyrics - English
Far above the Tatras
Lightning bolts are pounding.
These bolts shall we banish,
brothers, they will vanish;
Slovaks are rebounding.
Our Slovakia was,
until now, quiescent.
But the lightning flashing
and the thunder crashing
made it effervescent.
Slovakia national anthem lyrics - Slovak
Nad Tatrou sa blýska
Hromy divo bijú
Zastavme ich, bratia
Veď sa ony stratia
Slováci ožijú
To Slovensko naše
Posiaľ tvrdo spalo
Ale blesky hromu
Vzbudzujú ho k tomu
Aby sa prebralo
Who wrote the Slovakia national anthem?
The lyrics to 'Nad Tatrou sa blýska' were written by a 23-year-old student, Janko Matúška, early in 1844. The tune comes from the folk song 'Kopala studienku' ('English: "'She was digging a well'), as well as a similar Hungarian folk song, 'Azt mondják, nem adnak engem galambomnak' ('They say, they won't let me marry my love').
Soon after writing the verses, Matúška and other students left their Lutheran college in Pressburg (modern-day Bratislava) to protest over the removal of a teacher (the Slovakian region was under Austro-Hungarian control, and officials had not been happy about the teacher's overt Slovak nationalism).
Some of the students defected to the Lutheran gymnasium of Levoča. Their journey from Pressburg to Levoča took the students past the High Tatras. Hence the presence of the mountains, and the students' fears of a storm (or reprisals from the authorities) within the Slovakia national anthem lyrics.
More national anthem lyrics
You can find the lyrics to many more national anthems elsewhere on our website. For example, we've got the lyrics to the national anthems of Slovakia's Group E opponents at Euro 2024. Presenting the lyrics to the national anthem of Romania, the Ukraine national anthem, and 'La Brabançonne', the national anthem of Belgium.