Zdravljica - National Anthem

National Anthem

"Zdravljica", in the composition of Premrl, was adopted as the anthem on 27 September 1989 by the Socialist Republic of Slovenia before the breakup of Yugoslavia. Therefore, it was the anthem of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia, the Republic of Slovenia as a constituent republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 8 March 1990 to 25 June 1991, and of the Republic of Slovenia as a sovereign state.

The question about whether the entire "Zdravljica" or only its seventh stanza constitute the national anthem of Slovenia is still unresolved. According to the Article 6 of the Constitution of Slovenia, valid since 1991, the national anthem of Slovenia is the entire "Zdravljica". According to the Act Regulating the Coat-of-Arms, Flag and Anthem of the Republic of Slovenia and the Flag of the Slovene Nation, valid since 1994, the national anthem of Slovenia is its seventh stanza and the web pages of the National Assembly cite the 7th stanza as the anthem of Slovenia. In practice, mostly only the seventh stanza is sung and reproduced as the national anthem.

Jernej Letnar Černič, a law expert and university lecturer, wrote in September 2010 that the act contradicted the constitution and therefore the entire Zdravljica should be considered the anthem. Slovene writer Boris Pahor suggested that using a combination of verses of the seventh and the second stanza as the national anthem, as the second stanza mentions Slovenes, whereas the seventh stanza doesn't. This proposal was also supported by Janez Janša.

Read more about this topic:  Zdravljica

Famous quotes containing the word national:

    The national distrust of the contemplative temperament arises less from an innate Philistinism than from a suspicion of anything that cannot be counted, stuffed, framed or mounted over the fireplace in the den.
    Lewis H. Lapham (b. 1935)