Wir hatten gebauet ein stattliches Haus

"Wir hatten gebauet ein stattliches Haus" is a German student song that translates to "We Have Built a Stately House." It was famously incorporated by composer Johannes Brahms into his Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80, composed in 1880 to celebrate receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Breslau.1

Brahms described the overture as a "rollicking potpourri of student songs," primarily featuring drinking songs. "Wir hatten gebauet" was the theme song of a student organization advocating for German unification, a cause that was banned by authorities for decades. Despite the ban being lifted in most regions by 1871, it was still in effect in Vienna when Brahms completed his overture, leading to a two-week delay in its Viennese premiere.1