Order of Merit (Waldeck)
The Order of Merit was originally donated as a medal of merit on July 3, 1857 by Prince Georg Viktor zu Waldeck-Pyrmont and could be awarded to people who have made commendable services to our Princely House or to the welfare of our country . On 14 January 1871, the Foundation of the Order of Merit was done and waldeckischen honors system was renamed as part of the reorganization on March 28, 1896 Order of Merit made.
Order classes
Initially, the order existed in only one class (medal of merit). With the Foundation of the Order of Merit, the medal was declared 2nd class. On September 26, 1878 the foundation of the III. Class and a silver medal of merit. From January 14, 1891 the shape of the second class was changed and from this point on it was awarded as a cross. With the renaming to the Cross of Merit, the fourth class was created. Three years later, on July 4, 1899, a silver cross of honor and a new gold medal of merit were donated. The previous one was called the Medal for Art and Science and was awarded independently.
Finally, on December 20, 1912, the foundation of an officer's cross between the II. And III. Class ranked.
From this point on, the order consisted of four classes, an officer's cross and a cross of honor as well as the affiliated medal of merit in gold and silver.
Order decoration
The medal of the 1st class is a golden, white enamelled St. George's cross with incised ends, the support ring of which is covered by a gilded oak leaf . In the dark blue enamelled medallion you can see the eight-pointed black enamelled star of Waldeck's coat of arms. In the lower semicircle is the inscription Dem Merit. to read, which is interrupted in three places by the star rays. The red enameled golden anchor cross of Pyrmont is placed in the coat of arms star on a white enamelled background . In the lapel , the golden medallion shows the intertwined initials GV (Georg Viktor) overlaid by a princely hat .
The second class was a round medal until 1891, like the medallion of the first class. The golden initials GV (Georg Viktor) are affixed above the anchor cross and are crowned by a princely hat. At the upper edge of the medal, two gilded oak leaves can be seen that taper towards the top and the support ring is attached to them. In 1891 the second class was replaced by a slightly smaller first class cross. The coat of arms star is not underlaid by the medallion. On the reverse the two-line inscription FOR MERIT.
The cross of the III. Class was the same as the second class until 1896, but without enamel .
With the reorganization in 1896, a new first class was introduced (with a crown over the medal) and the previous one became the second class. In the second class, the medallion under the coat of arms star was omitted. The other classes were graded accordingly.
The cross of honor in the medallion only shows the red enameled anchor cross on a white background and is otherwise identical to the fourth class.
The gold-plated or silver-plated round merit medal made of bronze shows the two-line inscription FOR MERIT on the reverse . It differs in the obverse. The golden one shows the star of the coat of arms with the anchor cross, the silver one shows the initials GV (Georg Viktor) overlooked by the princely hat .
Swords
For military merit , on May 12, 1915, the foundation of swords for all classes, the cross of honor and the gold and silver medal of merit took place. The swords run through the cross angles on the crosses. The medals have two crossed swords between the medal and the carrying ring.
From February 23, 1918, prior possession of the Iron Cross First Class was a binding requirement for the award of the swords.
Carrying method
Classes I and II were decorated as a neck medal from 1896 , and the officer's cross as a plug-in cross. All other classes, the cross of honor and the medal of merit were worn on the ribbon on the left side of the chest.
The color of the ribbon depends on whether the award was given with or without swords. In the case of an award without swords, the ribbon is yellow-gold with red / black side stripes, with swords the ribbon is white with yellow-gold / red / black side stripes.
literature
- Gert Efler: The orders and decorations of the principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Schwalmstadt 2004, ISBN 3-926621-31-1 .
- Jörg Nimmergut : German medals and decorations until 1945. Volume 3. Saxony - Württemberg I. Central Office for Scientific Order Studies , Munich 1999, ISBN 3-00-00-1396-2 .