The Order of Merit of the Free State of Saxony (german: Sächsischer Verdienstorden) is a civil order of merit, and the highest award of the German state of

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

. First presented in 1997, it is awarded by the

Minister-President A minister-president or minister president is the head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments with a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of government where they preside over the council of ministers. It ...

. The order is presented to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the people and state of Saxony. The award is limited to a total of 500 living recipients. As of October 2020, it has been awarded 349 times.

Recipients

Kurt Biedenkopf Kurt Hans Biedenkopf (; 28 January 1930 – 12 August 2021) was a German jurist, academic teacher and politician of the Christian-Democratic Union (CDU). He was rector of the Ruhr University Bochum. Biedenkopf made a political career firs ...

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, (Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick; born 9 October 1935) is a member of the British royal family. Queen Elizabeth II and Edward were first cousins through their fathers, King George VI, and Prince George, Duk ...

Peter Fulde Peter Fulde (born 6 April 1936 in Breslau, now Wroclaw) is a physicist working in condensed matter theory and quantum chemistry. Fulde received a PhD degree at the University of Maryland in 1963. After spending more than one year as a postdo ...

Václav Klaus Václav Klaus (; born 19 June 1941) is a Czech economist and politician who served as the second president of the Czech Republic from 2003 to 2013. From July 1992 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in January 1993, he served as the secon ...

Felix Kolmer Felix Kolmer (3 May 1922 – 5 August 2022) was a Czech physicist of Jewish origin, specialising in the field of acoustics. During the Second World War, he was active in the Czech Resistance. Early life Kolmer was born in Prague in 1922 to ...

Reiner Kunze Reiner Kunze (born 16 August 1933 in Oelsnitz, Erzgebirge, Saxony) is a German writer and GDR dissident. He studied media and journalism at the University of Leipzig. In 1968, he left the GDR state party SED following the communist Warsaw Pact ...

Adolf Merckle Adolf Merckle (18 March 1934 – 5 January 2009) was a German entrepreneur and billionaire. He committed suicide at age 74 due to losses during the financial crisis of 2007–2008. He was at one point the fifth-richest person in Germany ...

Georg Milbradt Georg Milbradt (born 23 February 1945) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who served as Minister-President of Saxony from 2002 to 2008. Early life Milbradt was born in Eslohe. His family originally was from Wągrowie ...

Karel Schwarzenberg Prince Karel of Schwarzenberg (, born 10 December 1937) is a Czech politician, former leader of the TOP 09 party and was its candidate for president of the Czech Republic in the 2013 election. He served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies (MP ...

Erwin Teufel Erwin Teufel (born 4 September 1939, in Zimmern ob Rottweil) is a German politician of the CDU. Political career Teufel was the leader of the CDU parliamentary group in the Landtag of Baden-Württemberg from 1978 to 1991. Teufel was Minister ...

Stanislaw Tillich Stanislaw Tillich (; hsb, Stanisław Tilich; born 10 April 1959) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany, CDU. He served as the 3rd Minister-President, Minister President of Saxony from 2008 to 2017. From 1 November ...

Hanne Wandtke Hanne Wandtke (born 19 November 1939 in Dresden) is a contemporary dancer and choreographer. She was director of the Palucca School of Dance, Dresden. In 2000, she was awarded the Order of Merit of the Free State of Saxony. In 2004, she was awar ...

Udo Zimmermann Udo Zimmermann (6 October 1943 – 22 October 2021) was a German composer, musicologist, opera director, and conductor. He worked as a professor of composition, founded a centre for contemporary music in Dresden, and was director of the Leipzig ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saxony, Order of Merit Orders, decorations, and medals of the states of Germany Orders, decorations, and medals of Saxony Awards established in 1997