Austria won the 11th Eurovision Song Contest with 'Merci, Chérie', the first winning song performed in German.
Key Facts
- Edition
- 11th Eurovision Song Contest
- Date
- 5 March 1966
- Venue
- Villa Louvigny, Luxembourg City
- Winning song
- Merci, Chérie by Udo Jürgens (Austria)
- Participating countries
- 18
- First winning language
- First Eurovision win sung in German
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Luxembourg hosted the 1966 contest after winning the 1965 edition with France Gall's 'Poupée de cire, poupée de son'. The same eighteen countries that competed in 1965 returned, and the event was organised by the EBU and broadcaster CLT, held at Villa Louvigny in Luxembourg City.
On 5 March 1966, presenter Josiane Shen hosted the contest at Villa Louvigny. Austria's entry 'Merci, Chérie', performed and composed by Udo Jürgens and co-written with Thomas Hörbiger, took first place. It was Jürgens' third consecutive appearance at Eurovision and his first victory, making it also the first winning song performed in German.
Austria's win marked a historic first for the German language at Eurovision. Sweden, Norway, Belgium, and Ireland all achieved their best results to that point, finishing in the top five. Udo Jürgens went on to become one of the most celebrated German-language entertainers in Europe, and the contest continued to grow in prestige.
Work
Eurovision Song Contest 1966
The 1966 contest produced the first Eurovision-winning song performed in German, won by Udo Jürgens on his third consecutive attempt, boosting the contest's multinational cultural reach.