Order of Merit of the Free State of Saxony

The Order of Merit of the Free State of Saxony (German: Sächsischer Verdienstorden) is a civil order of merit, and the highest award of the German state of Saxony.^[2] First presented in 1997, it is awarded by the Minister-President of Saxony. The order is presented to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the people and state of Saxony. The award is limited to a total of 500 living recipients. As of October 2020, it has been awarded 349 times.^[1]

Order of Merit of the Free State of Saxony
Insignia of the Order of Merit of the Free State of Saxony
Type	Order of merit
Awarded for	Outstanding contributions to the Free State of Saxony and its people
Country	Germany
Presented by	the Free State of Saxony
First award	27 October 1997[1]
Total	349[1]
Ribbon bar of the order
Precedence
Next (lower)	Sächsische Verfassungsmedaille

Recipients

• Kurt Biedenkopf
• Prince Edward, Duke of Kent
• Peter Fulde
• Václav Klaus
• Felix Kolmer
• Reiner Kunze
• Adolf Merckle
• Georg Milbradt
• Karel Schwarzenberg
• Erwin Teufel
• Stanislaw Tillich
• Hanne Wandtke
• Udo Zimmermann