Romania
"Desteaptate, romane" (Wake up, Romanian)

Words by: Andrei Muresianu
Music by: Anton Pann
Adopted: 1990

During the fall of the Communist government in the last days of 1989, the popular song "Desteaptate, romane" was prevalent in the streets and quickly became a kind of "second anthem"; it was officially declared as the anthem in April, 1990, and was also used for a time by Moldova. Written during the 1848 revolution, it has been used by Romanians in their many struggles for freedom, such as from the Nazis in 1944, and during the end of communism, thus becoming the logical choice as a new anthem. The original work has eleven verses, but only four (verses 1, 2, 4, and 11) are the official lyrics.

See also: Romania (1881-1947), Romania (1948-1953), Romania (1953-1977), Romania (1977-1990).