Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg | |
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Type | Civil order of merit |
Awarded for | Outstanding contributions to the state of Baden-Württemberg, in politics, society, culture and economics |
Country | Germany |
Presented by | Baden-Württemberg |
Formerly called | Medal of Merit of Baden-Württemberg |
Established | 26 November 1974 |
First awarded | 26 April 1975 |
Total | 1,923 (as of April 2018)[1] |
Website | https://stm.baden-wuerttemberg.de/de/themen/orden-und-ehrenzeichen/verdienstorden-des-landes/ |
Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg (German: Verdienstorden des Landes Baden-Württemberg) is the highest award of the German State of Baden-Württemberg. Established 26 November 1974, it was originally called the Medal of Merit of Baden-Württemberg (Die Verdienstmedaille des Landes Baden-Württemberg). Effective 26 June 2009, the medal assumed its current name.[2]
The order is awarded by the Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg for outstanding contributions to the state of Baden-Württemberg, in politics, society, culture and economics. The order is limited to 1,000 living holders, and has been awarded 1,923 times, as of 30 April 2018.[1]
The form of the Order of Merit was fundamentally changed by an amendment to the foundation announcement on 3 February 2016. Since then, the Order of Merit is no longer awarded as a medal, but in the form of a stylised cross with a medallion in the middle, on which the large state coat of arms with the lettering „Baden-Württemberg“ is depicted.[3]