“Ons Heemecht” (originally titled “Ons Hémécht” before Luxembourgish spelling reform in the late twentieth century) was written in 1859 and set to music in 1864. The first performance of the song was on June 5 of that year in Ettelbruck, where the Alzette and Sauer (two rivers mentioned in the opening of the song) meet. It was adopted as the national anthem in 1895, and proclaimed a “national emblem” on June 17, 1993. The official lyrics are verses 1 and 4 of the original work.
