001 Croatian national anthem

About Croatia: Republika Hrvatska #001

Croatian national anthem

​Lijepa Naša Domovino

Croatians are very passionate about their national anthem Lijepa Naša Domovino - as you might expect after what they went through to achieve independence quite recently.

It is very stirring indeed, and conjures up a range of emotions, including pride, heroism, a long history, suffering, and maybe nostalgia?

The anthem is usually referred to simply as Lijepa Naša - a name which is also used to refer to the country Croatia (officially, the Republic of Croatia, or Republika Hrvatska).

While you listen to the music in the video below, you will see the Croatian lyrics, as well as an English translation. Many of the words are very old Croatian words that those of us learning Croatian will not encounter in everyday conversation - a bit like Chaucer's English, perhaps.
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Although the current nation of Croatia is very young, this anthem of the Croatian people goes back a very long way.

The lyrics were written and published by Antun Mihanović in 1835, and set to music by Josip Rujanin in the 1840s. It was first performed as an unofficial anthem of Croatian people  in 1891.

Wikipedia (Lijepa Naša Domovino) has more details. Some of the English translation is slightly different in the Wikipedia page than that shown in video above.

Usually, only two verses are sung, but in Wikipedia you will also find the full fourteen-verse poem, with English translation. 
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A monument to Antun Mihanović and his creation the Croatian national anthem Lijepa Naša Domovino.

This monument is at Zelenjak, north of Zagreb, and close to the border with Slovenia.

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​​A grammar issue.... (I can't help myself, can I?): Why is the title Lijepa Naša Domovino? This raises two questions:
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• Is there a discrepancy between feminine adjectives lijepa and naša, and apparently neuter domovino?
• Why is it domovino, rather than domovina, which my dictionary gives as the word for "homeland"?

My questions are not intended to test you ... I really don't know. Please tell me if you do.

Post script:
My teacher Mateja (SpeakCro Online Learning Center) suggests that this is because the title is in the vocative case - because it is as though a Croatian person who is singing this anthem is addressing their country.

Makes sense to me ....

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AHA! Learning Croatian with Bob
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