&quotOns Heemecht&quot (formerly &quotOns Hémecht&quot pronounced [ons ˈheːməɕt], lit. &aposOur Homeland&apos) is the national anthem of Luxembourg. Written by Michel Lentz in 1859 and set to music by Jean-Antoine Zinnen in 1864, it is performed at national celebrations, while the royal anthem, or, more accurately, the grand ducal anthem, &quotDe Wilhelmus&quot, is performed at entrances or exits of members of the Grand Ducal Family. Luxembourgish poet Michel Lentz wrote the poem Ons Heemecht in 1859, and it was set to music by Luxembourgish composer Jean-Antoine Zinnen in 1864. The song was first performed in public in Ettelbruck, a town at the confluence of the Alzette and Sauer rivers (both of which are mentioned in the song), on 5 June 1864.
&quotOns Heemecht&quot competed for a while with &quotDe Feierwon&quot, a song based on another poem by Lentz, for the status of the national anthem. The last line of the chorus of &quotDe Feierwon&quot became the origin of Luxembourg&aposs national motto.