The Czech Anthem

Kde domov můj? (Where is my home?) is a piece of music written by the composer František Škroup (1801 - 1862), with lyrics by the playwright Josef Kajetán Tyl (1808 - 1856). The piece was written as part of the incidental music to the comedy Fidlovačka, aneb Žádný hněv a žádná rvačka (Fidlovačka, or No Anger and No Brawl). First performed in 1834, the original work consists of two verses. It soon became popular among Czechs and was accepted as an informal anthem.

Soon after Czechoslovakia was formed in 1918, the first verse of Kde domov můj? became the Czech part of the national anthem, followed by the the Slovak part, which was the first verse of the Slovak song Nad Tatrou sa blýska. In 1992, when Czechoslovakia split, Slovakia chose as its national anthem Nad Tatrou sa blýska, followed by a second verse; and the Czech Repubic chose the first verse of Kde domov můj? as its national anthem.