Order for Merit (Bulgaria)
The Order for Merit ( bg : За заслуга ) was founded on April 5, 1883 by Prince Alexander I of Bulgaria and awarded as an award for military personnel, initially in ( gold and silver ), later also in bronze until the end of the monarchy in 1946.
Order decoration
The sign of the order is a round medal made of silver or gold-plated , which lies on two crossed swords . The swords are underlaid by a dense laurel wreath , which tapers upwards and to which the carrying ring is attached. In the obverse of the 1st model (1883–1886) is the portrait of Alexander I, the 2nd model (1887–1908) the image of the young Ferdinand I , and the 3rd model (1908–1918) the aged portrait of the meanwhile to Tsar proclaimed Ferdinand and the fourth model (1918-1946) 's profile Boris III.
In the lapel is the laurel wreath on the swords and in the medallion is a heraldic shield with a standing lion turned to the left , which is surrounded by laurel branches and the Cyrillic inscription За заслуга (For merit).
Carrying method
The award was worn on a dark red, later also blue, triangular ribbon on the left side of the chest.
literature
- Maximilian Gritzner : Handbook of the knight and merit orders of all civilized states in the world. Verlag Buchhandlung Weber, Leipzig 1893, pp. 56–57.
- Dimitri Romanoff: The Orders, Medals and History of the Kingdom of Bulgaria. Balkan Heritage, Rungsted Kyst 1982, ISBN 87-981267-0-9 .
