The Hessian Order of Merit (german: Hessischer Verdienstorden) is a civil

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 ...

, and the highest award of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

State State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major histor ...

. The order was established 1 December 1989.

Criteria

The order is presented 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 ...

of Hesse based on nominations from citizens, though self-nominations are not permitted. The order honours men and women for outstanding contributions to Hesse and may be awarded without regard to residence or citizenship. The order is presented in two classes, the first class being worn around the neck, and the second class being worn suspended from a ribbon on the chest. The number of living recipients is limited to 2,000 for the second class and 800 for the first class.

Appearance

The badge of the order is a gold rimmed white enamel cross. The center medallion is red with a gold rim. Upon the medallion is a lion as depicted on the

Coat of arms of Hesse The coat of arms of the German state of Hesse was introduced in 1949. It is based on the historical coat of arms of the Ludovingian landgraves of Hesse and Thuringia. History Ingeram Codex 043.jpg, The Ludovingian ''lion barry'' in the Ing ...

. Between the arms of the cross are the gold rays of an eight pointed star. The cross is worn on a blue ribbon around his neck in the first class and on a suspended from a ribbon worn on the chest for the second class. Women wear the cross of the Order on a bow of ribbon below the left shoulder.

Notable recipients

Christine Brückner Christine Brückner (10 December 1921, in Schmillinghausen, Bad Arolsen, Free State of Waldeck-Pyrmont – 21 December 1996, in Kassel) was a German writer. Her first novel, ''Before the Traces Disappear'' (''Ehe die Spuren verwehen''), was pub ...

Michael Herrmann Michael Herrmann (born 4 February 1944, in Wiesbaden) is a German culture and music administrator. He founded the Rheingau Musik Festival in 1987 and is its Artistic Director and Chief Executive Officer. He also runs a concert agency in the Frankf ...

Ben Hodges Frederick Benjamin "Ben" Hodges III (born 16 April 1958) is a retired United States Army officer who served as commanding general, United States Army Europe. He is currently the Pershing Chair in Strategic Studies at the Center for European Poli ...

Luc Jochimsen Lukrezia Luise "Luc" Jochimsen ( ''Lukrezia Schleussinger''; born 1 March 1936), is a German former television journalist and politician of The Left party. Professional career Luc Jochimsen was born in Nuremberg, the daughter of a vehicle deal ...

Steffi Jones Stephanie Ann Jones (born 22 December 1972) is a German-American Association football, football manager and former player who last managed the Germany women's national football team, German women's national team. As a Defender (association footba ...

Odo Marquard Odo Marquard (26 February 1928 – 9 May 2015) was a German philosopher. He was a professor of philosophy at the University of Giessen from 1965 to 1993. In 1984 he received the Sigmund Freud Prize for Scientific Prose. Early life and education ...

References

{{Orders of merit of Germany

Culture of Hesse