Nad Tatrou sa blýska
| English: 'Lightning Over the Tatras' | |
|---|---|
The first printed version of "Nad Tatrou sa blýska" | |
National anthem of Slovakia Former co-national anthem of Czechoslovakia | |
| Also known as | „Dobrovoľnícka” (English: 'Volunteer Song') |
| Lyrics | Janko Matúška, 1844 |
| Adopted | 13 December 1918 (by Czechoslovakia) 1 January 1993 (by Slovakia) |
| Relinquished | 1992 (by Czechoslovakia) |
| Audio sample | |
Government of Slovakia instrumental rendition, officially in G minor
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"Nad Tatrou sa blýska" (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈnat tatrɔw sa ˈbliːska]; lit. 'Lightning Over the Tatras') is the national anthem of Slovakia. The origins of it are in the Central European activism of the 19th century. Its main themes are a storm over the Tatra mountains that symbolized danger to the Slovaks, and a desire for a resolution of the threat. It used to be particularly popular during the 1848–1849 insurgencies.
It was one of Czechoslovakia's dual national anthems and was played in many Slovak towns at noon; this tradition ceased to exist after Czechoslovakia split into two different states in the early 1990s with the dissolution of Czechoslovakia.