 The anthem was a gift of the regional broadcasting station Westdeutscher Rundfunk to the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia on its 60th anniversary.It was presented to the public on 27 August 2006, the official anniversary date, at Düsseldorf, the state's capital.The lyrics were created by Hans Knipp and the Bläck Fööss band, and the melody was composed by Dietmar Mensinger, Hanno Beckers and the Bläck Fööss band.