Following the 1949 establishment of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) the new state prohibited the wearing of all pre-1945 German decorations and created a new system of awards inspired in part by those of the USSR.[1] [2]
After German reunification in 1990, former NVA Soldiers transferring into the new unified Bundeswehr could wear NVA award but list of approved East German decorations were limited and in the eyes of the new Bundeswehr fell under regulations for "foreign decorations". Awards associated with some state agencies or Communist organizations were considered to be in breach of public order and not allowed to be worn. Those were such as decorations issued by the Ministry for State Security, Border troops, German: [[Volkspolizei]], Combat Groups, GST and the FDJ.
In total, there were 142 state decorations and medals and over 10.000 by non-state mass organisations. Every GDR citizen received on average ten awards in their lifetime. The inflationary use of awards increased from the 1970s onwards, most even mid-level Socialist Unity Party functionaries receiving multiple variants of the same award.[3]
| Award | Ribbon bar | Name (English/German) | Date of creation | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hero of the GDR German: Held der DDR | 1975-10-28 | Awarded for heroic feats in service to the East German state and society. | |||
| Hero of Labour German: Held der Arbeit | 1950-04-19 | ||||
| Meritorious Member of State Security (German: Ehrentitel Verdienter Mitarbeiter der Staatssicherheit) | 1969-12-16 | Awarded for outstanding contributions to the protection of the state from foreign intelligence services | |||
| Meritorious Military Pilot of the GDR (German: Verdienter Militärflieger der DDR) | 1974-08-01 | ||||
| Honoured People's Policeman (German: Verdienter Volkspolizist) | 1966-06-15 | The medal was awarded in a single class for special achievements and personal dedication in the protection of the GDR. Also, for exemplary initiative that have contributed to increasing public safety and order. | |||
| Honoured Member of the National People's Army (Verdienter Angehöriger der Nationalen Volksarmee) | 1976-02-20 | The medal was awarded in a single class for outstanding achievements and merit leading to an increase in combat readiness and effectiveness. | |||
| Honoured Member of the Border Troops (German: Verdienter Angehöriger der Grenztruppen) | 1975-11-14 | The medal was awarded in a single class for outstanding achievements and merit leading. | |||
| Honoured Member of Civil Defense (German: Verdienter Angehöriger der Zivilverteidigung) | 1977-10-25 | The medal was awarded in a single class for outstanding achievements and special merit over many years of exemplary duty fulfillment of duties in increasing operational readiness. | |||
| Honoured Activist (German: Verdienter Aktivist) | 1953-11-01 | The medal was awarded in a single class for outstanding improvements in production, in technology or in occupational safety. | |||
| Honoured Doctor of the People (German: Verdienter Arzt des Volkes) | 1949-03-31 | The medal was awarded for significant and outstanding achievements in scientific research, in medical practice, in the organization of health protection, in teaching at universities and in medical colleges and in the training of the medical cadre. |
| Award | Ribbon bar | Name (English/German) | Date of creation | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Prize of East Germany German: Nationalpreis der DDR | 1949 | Awarded for scientific, artistic, and other meritorious achievement. | |||
| Heinrich Greif Prize German: Heinrich-Greif-Preis | 1951 | Awarded for contribution to the state cinema and television industry. | |||
| Lessing Prize German: Lessing-Preis | 1954 | Awarded for outstanding work in the field of the stage and the arts. | |||
| Prize for artistic folk art German: Preis für künstlerisches Volksschaffen | 1955 | Awarded for outstanding new creations or artistic interpretations. | |||
| Heinrich Heine Prize German: Heinrich-Heine-Preis | 1956 | Awarded for outstanding lyrical works and works of literary journalism. | |||
| Carl Blechen Prize German: Carl-Blechen-Preis | 1956 | Awarded for the Arts, Literature and Artistic Folk Creations. | |||
| Johannes R. Becher Medal German: Johannes-R.-Becher-Medaille | 1961 | Awarded for the development of "socialist national culture in the GDR".[4] | |||
| Art Prize of the German Democratic Republic German: Kunstpreis der DDR | 1959 | Awarded for outstanding creative and interpretive achievements in visual arts, applied arts, cinema, television, radio and entertainment. | |||
| Rudolf Virchow Prize German: Rudolf-Virchow-Preis | 1960 | Awarded for special achievements in the field of medical literature, medical technology and medical production. | |||
| Guts Muths Prize German: GutsMuths-Preis | 1961 | Awarded for scientific achievements in the field of sports science and sports medicine. | |||
| Friedrich Engels Prize German: Friedrich-Engels-Preis | 1970 | Awarded in 3 classes for outstanding scientific and organizational achievements to strengthen national defense. | |||
| Theodor Körner Prize German: Theodor-Körner-Preis | 1970 | Awarded for outstanding achievements in the creation or interpretation of works of art that contribute to strengthening the defense forces of the GDR. | |||
| Architecture Prize of the GDR German: Architekturpreis der DDR | 1976 | Awarded for achievements in the field of architecture. | |||
| Design Prize of the GDR German: Designpreis der DDR | 1978 | Awarded for significant contribution in increasing economic productivity. | |||
| Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Prize German: Jacob-und-Wilhelm-Grimm-Preis | 1978 | Awarded for the promotion of the German language and German studies abroad. |
| Award | Ribbon bar | Name (English/German) | Date of creation | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Order of Karl Marx German: Karl Marx Orden | 1953-05-05 | Awarded for exceptional merit in relation to ideology, culture, economy, and other designations. Additionally, citizens of other countries could also be awarded the order. | |||
| Patriotic Order of Merit German: Vaterländischer Verdienstorden | 1954-05-21 | Awarded for special services to the state and to society | |||
| Banner of Labour German: Banner der Arbeit | 1954-08-04 | Awarded for outstanding achievements over many years which stabilised and strengthened the country, and in particular for high results in work in the national economy. | |||
| Star of People's Friendship German: Stern der Völkerfreundschaft | 1959-08-20 | Awarded for exceptional merit in contributing to the "understanding and friendship between nations and preservation of peace". | |||
| Blücher Order German: Blücher Orden | 1965-10-13 | Awarded for valour in time of war (never awarded). | |||
| Scharnhorst Order German: Scharnhorst-Orden | 1966-02-17 | Awarded for major contributions to the improvement principles of ideology of the GDR | |||
| Combat Order of Merit for the People and the Fatherland German: Kampforden für Verdienste um Volk und Vaterland | 1966-02-17 | The medal was awarded in three classes:
|
| Award | Ribbon bar | Name (English/German) | Date of creation | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medal for Merit in Reservist Work (German: Medaille für Verdienste in der Reservistenarbeit) | 1985-05-28 | The medal was awarded in three classes to reservists or veterans of military service, for outstanding services in the development and management of reservist work while not on reservist military service:
| |||
| Medal For Faithful Service in the National People's Army Reserve (German: Reservistenabzeichen) | 1969 | The medal was awarded in three classes:
| |||
| Jubilee Medal 30 Years of the National People's Army (German: Jubiläumsmedaille 30 Jahre Nationale Volksarmee) | 1986-03-01 | The medal was awarded to a select group of people from the NVA, others receiving a related badge. |
These were awarded to Free German Youth (F.D.J.) members;
| Award | Ribbon bar | Name (English/German) | Date of creation | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artur Becker Medal (German: Artur-Becker-Medaille) | 1959 | The medal was awarded in three classes for outstanding achievements in the socialist youth association:
| |||
| Thalmann medal (German: Thälmann-Medaille) | 1951-08-15 | The medal was awarded to all participants of the peace demonstration of the Free German Youth. |
These were conferred by the Socialist Unity Party (S.E.D.);
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