Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria

Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria
Grand Star of the Decoration
Awarded by  Austria
Type	15 Class State decoration
Awarded for	Meritorious services to Austria
Statistics
Established	2 April 1952
Precedence
Next (higher)	None
Next (lower)	Austrian Decoration for Science and Art

The Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (German: Ehrenzeichen für Verdienste um die Republik Österreich) is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria. It includes 15 classes and forms part of the national honours system of that country.

History

The "Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria" was established by the National Council in 1952.^[1] It is conferred by the Republic of Austria to honour people (from Austria and abroad) who have rendered meritorious services to the country. Recipients are selected by the government, the awards are made by the President in accordance with the respective laws.^[1] The President of Austria automatically receives the "Grand Star of the Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria" by being elected to the office and holds this honour for life. The decoration should not be confused with other decorations in the Austrian honours system such as the "Austrian Decoration for Science and Art".

Classes

The Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria is divided into the following 15 classes:

1. Grand Star (Groß-Stern).^[2]
2. Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Sash (Großes Goldenes Ehrenzeichen am Bande).^[2]
3. Grand Decoration of Honour in Silver with Sash (Großes Silbernes Ehrenzeichen am Bande).^[2]
4. Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Star (Großes Goldenes Ehrenzeichen mit Stern).^[2]
5. Grand Decoration of Honour in Silver with Star (Großes Silbernes Ehrenzeichen mit Stern).^[2]
6. Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold (Grosses Goldenes Ehrenzeichen).^[2]
7. Grand Decoration of Honour in Silver (Grosses Silbernes Ehrenzeichen).^[2]
8. Grand Decoration of Honour (Großes Ehrenzeichen).^[2]
9. Decoration of Honour in Gold (Goldenes Ehrenzeichen).^[3]
10. Decoration of Honour in Silver (Silbernes Ehrenzeichen).^[3]
11. Decoration of Merit in Gold (Goldenes Verdienstzeichen).^[3]
12. Decoration of Merit in Silver (Silbernes Verdienstzeichen).^[3]
13. Gold Medal (Goldene Medaille).^[3]
14. Silver Medal (Silberne Medaille).^[3]
15. Bronze Medal (Bronzene Medaille), which is no longer awarded.^[3]

The "Gold Medal for Services to the Republic of Austria" may also be conferred as "Gold Medal with Red Riband" when awarded for bravery during an act of lifesaving.^[3]

Classes of the decoration

The five top classes, all worn with star.  The seven lower classes of the decoration.  The three medals in Gold, Silver and Bronze.

Notable recipients

Below a list with names of all Grand Star recipients and other notable recipients, in chronologic order and with between brackets the year that they received the honour:

Grand Star recipients

• Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia between 1930 and 1974 (1954)
• Adolf Schärf, President of Austria from 1957 to 1990 (1957)
• Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Emperor of Persia from 1941 to 1979 (1958)
• Franz Jonas, President of Austria from 1965 to 1974 (1965)
• Josip Broz Tito, President of Yugoslavia from 1953 to 1980 (1965)^[4]
• Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth Realms since 1952 (1966)
• Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince consort of Queen Elisabeth II (1966)
• Olav V, King of Norway from 1957 to 1991 (1966)
• Rudolf Kirchschläger, President of Austria from 1974 to 1986 (1974)
• Kurt Waldheim, Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981, and President of Austria from 1986 to 1992 (1974)
• Thomas Klestil, President of Austria between 1992 and 2004 (1992)
• Akihito, Emperor of Japan since 1989 (1999)
• Emil Constantinescu, President of Romania from 1996 to 2000 (1999)
• Árpád Göncz, President of Hungary from 1990 to 2000 (1999)
• Michiko, Japanese empress consort since 1989 (1999)
• Konstantinos Stefanopoulos, President of Greece from 1995 to 2005 (1999)
• Petar Stoyanov, President of Bulgaria von 1997 bis 2002 (1999)
• Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of Kazakhstan since 1990 (2000)
• Abdullah II, King of Jordan since 1999 (2001)
• Stjepan Mesić, President of Yugoslavia in 1991, and President of Croatia since 2000 (2001)
• Rania, Jordanian queen consort since 1999 (2001)
• Qabus ibn Said, Sultan of Oman since 1970 (2001)
• Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, President of Italy from 1999 to 2006 (2002)
• Jorge Sampaio, President of Portugal from 1996 to 2006 (2002)
• Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of Algeria since 1999 (2003)
• Heinz Fischer, President of Austria since 2004 (2004)
• Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden since 1973
• Hassan II, King of Morocco from 1961 to 1999
• Jacques Chirac, President of France from 1995 to 2007
• Harald V, King of Norway since 1991
• Ferdinand Marcos, President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986

Other select recipients

• Dimitri Shostakovich (Grand Decoration of Honour in Silver, 1967)^[5]
• Willy Brandt, Chancellor of Germany from 1969 to 1974 (Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Sash, 1972)
• Anna Freud (1975)^[6]
• Shoichiro Toyoda (Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Star, 1999).^[7]
• Randolph M. Bell (Grand Decoration of Honour in Silver, 2004)^[8]
• Jeanette Schmid (Decoration of Merit in Gold, 2004)^[9]
• Stuart Eizenstat (Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Star, 2005)^[10]
• Andreas Maislinger (Decoration of Merit in Silver, 2005)
• Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006 (Grand Decoration in Gold with Sash, 2007)
• Christoph Schönborn, Roman Catholic Cardinal and Archbishop of Vienna (Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Sash, 2008)
• Alois Mock, Vice-Chancellor of Austria from 1987 to 1989 (Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Sash)
• Walter Schwimmer (Grand Decoration of Honour in Silver with Star)^[11]
• Simon Wiesenthal

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Hofburg: Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} Hofburg: Decoration (English); Ehrenzeichen (German).
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} Hofburg: Ehrenzeichen (German).
4. ^ Badurina, Berislav; Saračević, Sead; Grobenski, Valent; Eterović, Ivo; Tudor, Mladen (1980). Bilo je časno živjeti s Titom. Vjesnik. p. 102. 
5. ^ Volkov, Solomon. (2004). Testimony, p. 280.
6. ^ Felder, Deborah G. (2005). Fifty Jewish Women Who Changed the World, p. 129.
7. ^ Toyota: Toyoda bio
8. ^ Austrian Information, May/June 2004
9. ^ "Obituary: Jeanette Schmid". The Telegraph. 17 March 2005. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1485787/Jeanette-Schmid.html. 
10. ^ Covington & Burling: Eizenstat bio
11. ^ Council of Europe: Schwimmer bio

References

• Poul Ohm Hieronymussen, Poul Ohm. (1967). Orders and Decorations of Europe in Color. New York: Macmillan. OCLC 796549
• Werlich, Robert. (1965). Orders and Decorations of All Nations: Ancient and Modern, Civil and Military. Washington, D.C.: Quaker Press. OCLC 390804

External links

• Austrian decorations (site in German)
• Website of the President