Frisia
"It Fryske Folksliet" (The Frisian Folksong)
"De âlde Friezen" (The Old Frisians)

Words by: Eeltsje Halbertsma
Music by: Heinrich Christian Schnoor
In use since: 1875

The national anthem of the Frisian can be traced to a poem entitled "De âlde Friezen" (The Old Frisians) by Eeltsje Halbertsma, written in the early 1800s in the language of the Frisian people, Frysk. Jacobus van Loon subsequently reduced the number of verses of the poem into the form that now appears as the anthem of the Frisian people. It is unknown if the song was specially written to fit Schnoor's "Vom hoh'n Olymp", a song in use in the area since the 1790s, but Halbertsma was no doubt familiar with the melody.

While never having been officially adopted as the anthem of the northern Dutch province of Frisia, tradition makes it serve as such. it is played at cultural and sporting events held in Frisia and is regarded as the Frisian anthem throughout the Frisian nation.

Special thanks to: Jan Scotland and E. Consen for some of this information.

See also: Netherlands.