The Merit Cross (german: Verdienstkreuz) was a meritorious service decoration of
Prussia. Established 27 January 1912, by
Wilhelm II in his capacity as
King of Prussia, it recognized general merit to Prussia. The cross could be awarded to civilians as well as members of the military. The cross was awarded in two classes a gold cross and a silver cross.
Classes
The Merit Cross was awarded as a Gold Merit Cross or Silver Merit Cross, the gold being ranked the higher of the two. For exceptional service each class could be awarded with a crown, meaning that the cross would be surmounted by a crown and the ribbon attached through it. Awards which commemorated a long period of service could be awarded with a circular shield bearing a jubilee number attached at the top of the cross, and holding the suspension ring.
The Merit Cross was to be returned to the state upon the award of a higher level decoration. An exception to this was if the Silver Cross of Merit was awarded with crown, it did not have to be returned if the recipient was later awarded the Gold Cross of Merit. All awards of the Merit Cross were to be returned to the state upon the death of the recipient.
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Appearance
The Merit Cross is a 41 mm wide Maltese cross
The Maltese cross is a cross symbol, consisting of four " V" or arrowhead shaped concave quadrilaterals converging at a central vertex at right angles, two tips pointing outward symmetrically.
It is a heraldic cross variant which developed f ...
with smooth edges and pebbled texture on the arms. In the center is a circular medallion with the stylized crowned cypher ''WR'' for King Wilhelm II.[ The ]obverse and reverse
Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, '' ...
designs are identical. The Gold Merit Cross is gilded silver,[
The crosses were hung with a ring suspension attached at the top arm of the cross. When awarded with the Crown or jubilee numbers shield, those were attached at the top arm of the cross and the suspension ring attached to the crown or shield. The cross was worn suspended from a ribbon of blue with yellow stripes.][
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References
{{Orders and decorations of the Kingdom of Prussia
Orders, decorations, and medals of Prussia
1912 establishments in Germany
Awards established in 1912