Die Wacht am Rhein
Videos
"Die Wacht am Rhein" is a German patriotic anthem. The song's origins are rooted in the historical French–German enmity, and it was particularly popular in Germany during the Franco-Prussian War, Worl
Wislicenus Germania
Niederwald monument with lyrics of Guard on the Rhine
German Empire
Videos
The German Empire, also referred to as Imperial Germany or the Second Reich, was the period of the German Reich from the unification of Germany in 1871 until the November Revolution in 1918, when Germ
Die Wacht am Rhein
…When in the aftermath of the subsequent French defeat, the Prussian prime minister Otto von Bismarck achieved the Unification of Germany and the German Empire including Alsace–Lorraine was established, "Die Wacht am Rhein" — beside "Heil dir im Siegerkranz" — was the unofficial second national anthem. The…
Chancellor Otto von Bismarck (pictured in 1873)
Emperor Wilhelm I (pictured c. 1870)
Die Proklamation des Deutschen Kaiserreiches by Anton von Werner (1877), depicting the proclamation of Emperor William I (18 January 1871, Palace of Versailles). From left, on the podium (in black): Crown Prince Frederick (later Frederick III), his father the emperor, and Frederick I of Baden, proposing a toast to the new emperor. At center (in white): Otto von Bismarck, first Chancellor of Germany, Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, Prussian Chief of Staff.
Berlin Palace, the main residence of the House of Hohenzollern