Ons Heemecht: Luxembourg’s national anthem — words, translation and history

Ons Heemecht — “Our Homeland” — was written in 1859, set to music in 1864 and made the official national anthem by law in 1993. Here are its official words, a line-by-line English translation, and the story behind it.

Updated November 3, 2026 · 5 min read

The Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg, where the nationality law is voted — Photo: Cayambe, CC BY-SA 3.0, resized.

Luxembourg’s anthem is sung in Luxembourgish, which makes it one of the best-known texts in the language. If you are learning Luxembourgish — or preparing for nationality, where people often ask about the anthem — it is worth knowing what every line means. For the language itself, start with the three languages of Luxembourg.

The official words and what they mean

The official anthem is the first and the last stanza of Michel Lentz’s poem. The text below is the version published by the government; the English is our own line-by-line translation (the original spelling is older than today’s official spelling, so some words look unusual).

First stanza

Luxembourgish	English
Wou d’Uelzecht duerech d’Wisen zéit,	Where the Alzette winds through the meadows,
Duerch d’Fielsen d’Sauer brécht.	where the Sûre breaks through the rocks,
Wou d’Rief laanscht d’Musel dofteg bléit,	where the vine blooms fragrant along the Moselle,
Den Himmel Wäin ons mécht.	and heaven makes wine for us:
Dat ass onst Land, fir dat mir géif	that is our land, for which we would
Heinidden alles wo’n.	dare everything here below.
Onst Heemechtsland, dat mir sou déif	Our homeland, which we carry so deep
An onsen Hierzer dro’n.	within our hearts.

Last stanza

Luxembourgish	English
O, Du do uewen, deem seng Hand	O You up there, whose hand
Duerch d’Welt d’Natioune leet.	leads the nations through the world,
Behitt Du d’Lëtzebuerger Land	protect the land of Luxembourg
Vru friemem Joch a Leed!	from foreign yoke and sorrow!
Du hues ons all als Kanner schonn	You gave all of us, already as children,
de fräie Geescht jo ginn.	the free spirit.
Looss virublénken d’Fräiheetssonn,	Let the sun of freedom shine on,
déi mir sou laang gesinn.	the sun we have seen for so long.

Three rivers open the anthem: the Alzette (Uelzecht), which flows through Luxembourg City; the Sûre (Sauer), which cuts through the rocks of the north; and the Moselle (Musel), the wine river on the border with Germany. Listen to the key words in the official dictionary:

Heemecht

Meaning: Homeland, home country — the title word. Its everyday use: eis Frënn kachen dacks Spezialitéiten aus hirer Heemecht (our friends often cook dishes from their home country).

Uelzecht

Meaning: The Alzette, the river of the capital.

Fräiheet

Meaning: Freedom — the word at the heart of the last stanza.

Who wrote it

The words are by Michel Lentz (1820–1893), one of the first poets to write in Luxembourgish, in 1859. The music is by Jean-Antoine Zinnen (1827–1898), who composed it in 1864. According to the government’s own account, it was first sung in public by four singers at a band competition in Ettelbruck in 1864. Lentz also wrote De Feierwon (1859), the railway song whose last line became the national motto — see “Mir wëlle bleiwe wat mir sinn”. The other early writers are in the first writers in Luxembourgish.

When did it become official?

For more than a century Ons Heemecht was the national anthem by custom. It became official by law only on 27 July 1993, when an amendment to the law of 23 June 1972 on the national emblems declared that the first and last stanzas of Ons Heemecht, with Lentz’s words and Zinnen’s music, constitute the national anthem of the Grand Duchy. The law was published in the Mémorial (the official journal) on 16 September 1993.

When you will hear it: at state ceremonies and sports events — and above all on National Day, celebrated on 22 and 23 June for the Grand Duke’s official birthday. More on the festivities in Luxembourg’s traditions and their words.

De Lëtzebuerger Nationalfeierdag gëtt den 23. Juni gefeiert

Literally: Luxembourg’s National Day is celebrated on 23 June.

Learning the anthem as a language learner

Old spelling, modern pronunciation: duerech is today’s duerch, wo’n and dro’n are woen and droen. Today’s rules are in Luxembourgish spelling.
Useful verbs: droen (to carry), ginn (to give), gesinn (to see), maachen (to make), loossen (to let).
Word order: fir dat mir géif … wo’n sends the verbs to the end — the rule is explained in Luxembourgish word order.
For the nationality exam: the Sproochentest tests speaking and listening, not the anthem — see what level of Luxembourgish you need for citizenship.

Pronunciation first? How to pronounce Luxembourgish and the n-rule explain the sounds you hear when the anthem is sung (its 1859 spelling is older than today’s rules, so read it, then listen). Everyday words come first, of course: the most common words and everyday nouns, then the verbs sangen (to sing), schreiwen (to write) and léieren (to learn). For the short, everyday side of the language, see 20 expressions every newcomer hears and 30 everyday idioms.

Nature words from the anthem — rivers, rocks, meadows, vines — are on our weather and environment vocabulary page. To test where you stand, try the free Luxembourgish level test.

Singing is a good way to train pronunciation, and a teacher can tell you what to fix. On Edluxio you can book 1-to-1 online lessons with independent teachers, native speakers among them. Book a trial lesson; if your first lesson isn’t right for you, you get a full refund.

Learn Luxembourgish with native audio

16Word teaches Luxembourgish words and sentences from the official dictionary, with its native recordings — 16 at a time, five minutes a day.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the national anthem of Luxembourg?

Ons Heemecht (Our Homeland): the first and last stanzas of a poem by Michel Lentz (1859), with music by Jean-Antoine Zinnen (1864).

When did Ons Heemecht become the official anthem?

By the law of 27 July 1993, which amended the 1972 law on the national emblems. Before that it was the anthem by custom.

How many stanzas does the official anthem have?

Two: the first and the last stanza of Lentz’s poem.

What rivers are mentioned in Ons Heemecht?

The Alzette (Uelzecht), the Sûre (Sauer) and the Moselle (Musel).

Where was Ons Heemecht first performed?

At a band competition in Ettelbruck in 1864, sung by four singers.

Do I need to know the anthem for Luxembourgish nationality?

No — the Sproochentest checks spoken Luxembourgish (speaking at A2, listening at B1). Knowing the anthem is a nice extra, not a requirement.