Cross of Merit for Women (Prussia)
The Cross of Merit for Women was donated on October 22, 1907 by King Wilhelm II of Prussia as a two-class order of women and was intended to be awarded to "women and virgins" who have made themselves through self-sacrificing personal work in the field of charity, church or social Area deserved. The award was right behind the Order of Luise . The first form of the "Women's Cross of Merit on a White Ribbon", which was awarded from approx. 1890 to 1907, was awarded as a brooch with a horizontal pin.
Order decoration
The medallion is a medallion made of gold in the 1st class and a medallion made of silver in the 2nd class , on which a lily cross with stylized cornflowers rests in the cross corners. The medallion is framed by a string of pearls and surmounted by a crown . All around in the upper semicircle the blue enamelled inscription FOR · MERIT . In the lower semicircle, blue enameled laurel branches can be seen on the left and right . The entwined letters AV ( Auguste Victoria ) lie between the laurel branches .
Carrying method
The Cross of Merit for Women was worn on a lady's bow on the left side of the chest.
Others
In order to be awarded the 1st class, you had to have held the 2nd class for at least ten years. However, it was possible to deviate from this in exceptional cases.
The insignia had to be returned after death.
Individual evidence
literature
- Prussian Law Collection 1907, p. 281.
- Jörg Nimmergut : German medals and decorations until 1945. Volume 2. Limburg - Reuss. Central Office for Scientific Order Studies , Munich 1997, ISBN 3-00-00-1396-2 .