Switzerland National Anthem — Swiss Psalm

The "Swiss Psalm" is, as its name suggests, a hymn rather than a martial anthem. Its opening pictures the dawn breaking "in the morning red", the singer beholding the divine "in a sea of rays". As the "Alpine snows glow crimson", it calls "free Swiss" to pray.

The refrain — "your pious soul senses God in the noble fatherland" — fuses love of country with religious devotion and the grandeur of the Alps. The French, Italian and Romansh versions carry the same spirit in their own words rather than as literal translations.

Leonhard Widmer wrote the German poem in 1840, and Alberich Zwyssig, a Cistercian monk, set it to a hymn tune the following year. It gradually gained popularity, but for decades Switzerland's de facto anthem was "Rufst du, mein Vaterland" — which shared its melody with Britain's "God Save the King" and caused confusion at international events. The Swiss Psalm was adopted provisionally in 1961 and made the official national anthem in 1981.

The Swiss Psalm reflects Switzerland's multilingual identity, with official texts in German, French, Italian and Romansh. Its devotional character and Alpine imagery are much loved, though its overtly religious tone has prompted debate; a 2014 public contest sought modernised lyrics, but no change has been made official. It is sung at national and sporting occasions across the country.

The "Swiss Psalm" ("Schweizerpsalm") is the national anthem of Switzerland, one of the most distinctive of the world's national anthems. The German words are by Leonhard Widmer (1840) and the music by the monk Alberich Zwyssig (1841).

It has official lyrics in all four Swiss national languages. Made de facto anthem in 1961 and official in 1981, it is in the public domain.