Wilhelm Order
The Wilhelm Order was founded on January 18, 1896 by Wilhelm II in memory of his grandfather, Wilhelm I , the first German Emperor of the "Second Reich" .
Order decoration
The order, which is made up of just one class, consists of a gold chain weighing approx. 222 grams with the words WILHELMUS: I: REX in the links . A high oval laurel wreath hangs from it , with a medallion in the center. This shows the bust of Wilhelm I facing to the left with the legend WILHELM KOENIG VON PRUSSEN .
The design came from the medalists Emil Weigand and Otto Schultz.
Awards
The order is one of the rarest awards in the Kingdom of Prussia . Only 66 awards are to be proven. On foundation day he received a. a. Otto von Bismarck . The last award took place on August 28, 1913, to the Hereditary Princess Charlotte of Prussia . Other owners were:
- Maria Elisabeth Wentzel-Heckmann (1833–1914), benefactress, honorary member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences
- Paul Berthold (1855–1917), district administrator, social politician
- Friedrich von Bodelschwingh the Elder (1831–1910), Protestant pastor and theologian
- Tonio Bödiker (1843–1907), first President of the Reich Insurance Office
- Helene Donner (1819–1909), Hamburg founder and benefactress
- Sophie Henschel (1841–1915), manufacturer and patron
- Theodor Lohmann (1831–1905), administrative lawyer and social reformer
- James Simon (1851–1932), entrepreneur, sponsor of Berlin's museums, founder and financier of numerous charitable institutions
- Heinrich von Stephan (1831–1897), General Postal Director of the German Reich, organizer of the German postal system and co-founder of the Universal Postal Union
- Egmont Websky (1827–1905), textile manufacturer, member of the Reichstag
- Emilie Mosse (1851–1924), benefactress
- Luise von Preußen (1838–1923) , Grand Duchess of Baden, charitable work
- Auguste Viktoria (1858–1921), German Empress, charitable work
- Margarethe Krupp (1854–1931), factory owner, charitable and social commitment
- Mary von Waldersee (1837–1914), countess, promoter of Christian and social issues
- Eva von Tiele-Winckler (1866–1930), "Mother Eva"; Deaconess, charitable and social engagement
- Laura von Oelbermann (1846–1929), Cologne founder and patron
- Franziska Speyer (1844–1909), Frankfurt founder and patron
Others
The centenary medal, which was awarded ten thousand times to commemorate the 100th birthday of Kaiser Wilhelm I in 1897, is erroneously referred to as the “ Order of William” in public, especially at Internet auctions . The Electorate of Hesse also had an Order of Wilhelm ; but this one was older and by I. Wilhelm named.
literature
- Jörg Nimmergut : German medals and decorations until 1945. Volume 4, Central Office for Scientific Order Studies, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-00-001396-2 .
