Denmark National Anthem — Der er et yndigt land

"Der er et yndigt land" is a serene tribute to the Danish landscape. It pictures a "lovely country" of "broad beeches" — the beech being Denmark's national tree — set "near the salty eastern shore" and winding gently "in hill and valley".

It calls the land "old Denmark" and "Frejas sal" ("the hall of Freya"), invoking the Norse goddess and Denmark's ancient heritage. Rather than martial pride, it offers a soft, romantic love of the country's nature and history.

Adam Oehlenschläger, a central poet of Danish Romanticism, wrote the poem in 1819; it originally had twelve verses. Hans Ernst Krøyer composed the familiar melody around 1835. The song gradually became Denmark's national anthem, and today the first verse and the last are usually sung. Denmark keeps it distinct from the royal anthem, "Kong Christian stod ved højen mast", used at royal and military occasions.

Denmark is one of the few countries with two official anthems: "Der er et yndigt land" for national and civic occasions, and "Kong Christian" for the monarchy and the military. The reference to "Frejas sal" ties the anthem to Norse mythology, while the "broad beeches" celebrate the beech forests emblematic of the Danish countryside.

"Der er et yndigt land" ("There Is a Lovely Country") is the civil national anthem of Denmark, one of the gentlest of the world's national anthems. The words are by Adam Oehlenschläger and the music by Hans Ernst Krøyer.

Denmark uniquely has two official anthems — this one and the royal anthem. The lyrics date to 1819 and are in the public domain.