The Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Order Zasługi Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej) is a Polish

order of merit The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by K ...

created in 1974, awarded to persons who have rendered great service to

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

. It is granted to foreigners or Poles resident abroad. As such it is sometimes referred to as a traditional "diplomatic order".

History

The order was established by an act of 10 April 1974, as the Order of Merit of the

Polish People's Republic The Polish People's Republic ( pl, Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1947 to 1989 as the predecessor of the modern Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million nea ...

(''Order Zasługi Polskiej Rzeczypospolitej Ludowej''). The need for the new order had arisen since the Order of the White Eagle had fallen into disuse after the foundation of the People's Republic. Reflecting this history, the two orders utilized similar colors and designs. The Order of Merit of the Polish People's Republic was awarded in five classes: Grand Cordon of the Order, Commandery with Star, Commandery, Gold Badge of the Order, and Silver Badge of the Order. It was awarded by the

Polish Council of State The Council of State of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Rada Państwa) was introduced by the Small Constitution of 1947 as an organ of executive power. The Council of State consisted of the President of the Republic of Poland as chairman, the Marsha ...

. After the

fall of communism in Poland Autumn, also known as fall in American English and Canadian English, is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March ( South ...

in 1989, it was decided to retain the order, with necessary changes. Without a formal change of the 1974 act or the name of the order, the insignia were changed to the present ones by a presidential decree of 16 April 1991. The abbreviation "PRL" was changed to "RP," the Eagle was given a crown in accordance with Poland's new

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

, the date "1974" was removed from the reverse, and the color of the ribbon was changed from light

cobalt blue Cobalt blue is a blue pigment made by sintering cobalt(II) oxide with aluminum(III) oxide (alumina) at 1200 °C. Chemically, cobalt blue pigment is cobalt(II) oxide-aluminium oxide, or cobalt(II) aluminate, CoAl2O4. Cobalt blue is lighter ...

to dark cobalt. Under an act of 16 October 1992, the order was reestablished under the name Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (''Order Zasługi Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''). Under the 1992 act, the order is awarded to foreigners or Poles resident abroad for distinguished contributions to international cooperation or cooperation between Poland and other countries. It is awarded by the

President of Poland The president of Poland ( pl, Prezydent RP), officially the president of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej), is the head of state of Poland. Their rights and obligations are determined in the Constitution of Polan ...

. Unlike the other national orders of Poland, it does not have a chapter. Recipients of the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, the highest award of the class, have included

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presid ...

, and

Edward Mosberg Edward Mosberg (January 6, 1926 – September 21, 2022) was a Polish-American Holocaust survivor, educator, and philanthropist. During the Holocaust, he was held by the Nazis from 14 years of age in Kraków Ghetto, Kraków-Płaszów concentratio ...

Degrees

From 1974 to 1991 the Order was awarded in following classes: * 1st class – Grand Cordon of the Order of Merit of the

People's Republic of Poland The Polish People's Republic ( pl, Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1947 to 1989 as the predecessor of the modern Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million nea ...

* 2nd class – Commandery with Star of the Order of Merit of the

* 3rd class – Commandery of the Order of Merit of the

* 4th class – Gold Badge of the Order of Merit of the

* 5th class – Silver Badge of the Order of Merit of the

Since 1992 the Order is awarded in the following classes: * 1st class – Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland * 2nd class – Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland * 3rd class – Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland * 4th class – Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland * 5th class – Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland

Notes

References

Polish Law of 16 October 1992 (Dz.U. 1992 nr 90 poz. 450)

Polish Law of 10 November 1992 (Dz.U. 1992 nr 90 poz. 452)

History

Degrees

See also

Notes

References

Further reading