Polish National Anthem

The national anthem of Poland is called “Mazurek Dabrowskiego,” which means “Poland Is Not Yet Lost.” The song was not adopted until the 20th century but was actually written well before then. The lyrics for the song were written by Jozef Wybicki in 1797. The song was written to boost the morale of Polish soldiers after the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was erased from the map. Essentially, the theme of the song is that Polish people did not disappear and would continue to fight in the name of Poland. In other words, Poland will not be lost as long as its people exist. Before becoming the national anthem, it served as a very popular patriotic song.

The music for the anthem was written by an unknown composer during the 1920s. However, the arrangement of the music is attributed to Kazimierz Sikorski. In 1918, Poland was again an independent state and “Mazurek Dabrowskiego” was made the de facto national anthem. It was officially adopted as the nation’s anthem in 1926. The national anthem is one of the national symbols outlined in the constitution, and it is a law that the anthem is treated “with reverence and respect.”