| Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany | |
|---|---|
 Special Class of the Grand Cross (reserved forheads of state) | |
| Type | Order of merit with one special and eight regular classes |
| Country | Federal Republic of Germany |
| Presented by | thePresident of Germany |
| Eligibility | Civilian and military personnel |
| Established | 7 September 1951 (1951-09-07) |
| Total | 262,532 (as of December 31, 2022)[1] |
| Website | bundespraesident.de |
 Grand Cross Special Class
 Medal Ribbon bars of the Order of Merit | |
TheOrder of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (German:Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, orBundesverdienstorden,BVO)[2] is the highestfederal decoration of theFederal Republic of Germany.[3] It may be awarded for any field of endeavor.[4] It was created by the firstPresident of the Federal Republic of Germany,Theodor Heuss, on 7 September 1951. Colloquially, the decorations of the different classes of the Order are also known as theFederal Cross of Merit (Bundesverdienstkreuz).
It has been awarded to more than 262,000 individuals in total, both Germans and foreigners.[5] Since the 1990s, the number of annual awards has declined from more than 4,000, first to around 2,500, then from 2015 to under 1,500, with a low of 918 awards in 2022.[5] Since 2013, women have made up a steady 30–35% of recipients.[5]
Most of theGerman federal states (Länder) have each their own order of merit as well, with the exception of theFree andHanseatic Cities ofBremen andHamburg, which reject any orders (by tradition their citizens, particularly former or present senators, will refuse any decoration in the form of an order, the most famous example being formerChancellorHelmut Schmidt).[6]
The order was established on 7 September 1951 by the decree of Federal PresidentTheodor Heuss.[7] Signed by Heuss, GermanChancellorKonrad Adenauer, andMinister of the InteriorRobert Lehr, the decree states:
Desiring to visibly express recognition and gratitude to deserving men and women of the German people and of foreign countries, on the second anniversary of the Federal Republic of Germany, I establish the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. It is awarded for achievements that served the rebuilding of the country in the fields of political, socio-economic, and intellectual activity, and is intended to be an award for all those whose work contributes to the peaceful rise of the Federal Republic of Germany.
In 2022 Federal PresidentFrank-Walter Steinmeier introduced a gender quota which demands a minimum of 40% of nominees to the order to be women.
The Order comprises four groups with eight regular classes and one special (medal) class (hereafter enumerated in English):[8]
The President of the Federal Republic holds theGrand Cross special classex officio. It is awarded to him in a ceremony by thePresident of the Bundestag, attended by theChancellor of Germany, thePresident of the Bundesrat, and theSupreme Court President. Other than the German president, only a foreignhead of state and their spouse can be awarded with this highest class. There is also the provision of awarding theGrand Cross 1st class in exceptional finish (Großkreuz in besonderer Ausführung), in which the central medallion with the black eagle is surrounded by a stylizedlaurel wreath in relief. ThisGrand Cross 1st class in exceptional finish has been awarded only to three persons, the former German chancellorsKonrad Adenauer,Helmut Kohl andAngela Merkel.[9][10][11]
Except for the lowest class, the medal, the badge is the same for all classes, but with slightly different versions for men and women (slightly smaller badge and ribbon for women):
The badge for the Member and Officer classes however are only enamelled on one side, and flat on the reverse. Thebadge of the Order is made up of a golden four-armedcross enamelled in red, with a central gold disc bearing a black enamelled German federal eagle (Bundesadler).
Thestar is a golden star with straight rays, its size and points vary according to class, with the badge superimposed upon it. An interesting fact about the stars, of which no less than four grades use one, is that they all have the same basic shape as various other breast stars from German history.[12]
The reasoning behind this is not clear. It is not known if this is deliberate or coincidence, as the tools used to make the stars were in short supply after the war, and using stamping dies that were readily available and could be reused or acquired from other manufacturers would have been a good way of cutting costs and simplifying production in a Germany only just starting to experience theWirtschaftswunder. It is of course possible that this could have been deliberate, and a way to celebrate German history in the design of the new honour for the Federal Republic. This is unlikely however as two stars represent decorations awarded during theThird Reich, and the other two are of Prussian origin. Prussia itself had only been recentlyabolished and the legacy of so called "Prussian militarism" was not something openly celebrated in the newFederal Republic of Germany.
Theriband of the Order is made up of the colours of the German flag. The pattern is a large central band of red, edged on both sides in a smaller band of gold-black-gold.[13]
