Order of Civil Merit (Bulgaria)

The Bulgarian Order of Cvil Merit was established on either 2 or 14 August 1891 by then Prince Ferdinand, and was founded with six classes and a Grand Cross grade. The order lasted until formerly dissolved by the Communist government of Bulgaria in 1946. The order has been revived by the current Republic of Bulgaria and is awarded today.

File:Zar Ferdinand Bulgarien-700x1028.jpg

• Grand Cross
• I Class – Great Cross
• II Class – Grand Officers cross
• III Class – Commanders cross
• IV Class – Officers cross
• V Class – Knights cross
• VI Class – Silver Cross

The Orders design was made up of a white-enamelled urdy cross, with a central disc bearing the royal monogram of Ferdinand I. The obverse disc is surrounded by a circlet with the inscription за Гражданско заслуги (For Civil Merit). On the reverse a lion turned to the right with the coat of arms of the princely house on it and the inscription 2. Август · 1891 (2 August 1891). Between the arms of the cross were placed green-enamelled oak leaves and branches, sometimes only enamelled on one side. Before 1908 the cross hung from a princely crown, but after Ferdinand was proclaimed Tsar in 1908 the cross was changed to the imperial Tsar's crown. This continued until 1946 and the abolition of the monarchy, where briefly the cross hung from an un-enamelled wreath until finally being dissolved by the communists in 1946. The Grand Cross and first class of the order consisted of the badge suspended from a sash with a star. The most obvious way to distinguish between the Grand Cross and the 1st Class is the sash. The sash of the Grand Cross includes a large rosette more commonly seen in other grand crosses, while the 1st class sash is simply tied around the badge placement in a less extravagant design. Apart from the sash the breast star of the Grand Cross is made up of gold and silver rays, while the first class is only in silver, though the shape, and size of the stars are identical. The Grand Officer's class consisted of the same badge, but suspended from a neck ribbon, while the star was smaller and also slightly different in design, taking on more of a diamond shape. The Commander was simply suspended from the neck like the Grand Officer, while the Officers and Knights crosses were suspended on a trifold ribbon and worn on the breast. The grades were distinguished by the addition of a rosette on the Officers cross ribbon. From 1908, the first three classes could also be presented with diamonds for exceptional merits.

• Arthur Zimmerman (1912)
• Pierce Charles de Lacy O'Mahony (1915)
• Kurt Klaudy (1938)
• Herman Senkowsky (1941)
• August Beckman
• Konrad zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst {{Cite web |title=ÖNB-ALEX - Staatshandbuch |url=https://alex.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/alex?aid=shb&datum=1918&page=392&size=45 |access-date=2023-01-23 |website=alex.onb.ac.at}}
• Johann Strauss (son)
• Viktor Urbanchich
• Ferdinand I of Bulgaria
• Boris III of Bulgaria
• Simeon II of Bulgaria
• Alexander Pietrov

{{Infobox order

|title = Order of Civil Merit
Орден за гражданска заслуга

|image = 150px

|caption = The Commanders Medal of the Order

|image2 = 80px

|caption2 = The ribbon of the Order

|awarded_by = 30px The President of Bulgaria

|type = State Order

|motto =

|day =

|eligibility = Bulgarian citizens.

|for = Awarded for great merit to the development and consolidation of the civil society.

|status = Currently awarded

|head_title = Grand Master

|head = President Rumen Radev

| head2_title =

| head2 =

|chancellor =

|commander =

|grades = Commander
Officer

|former_grades =

|date = August 1891
1891 – 1946 (Royal National Order)
29 May 2003 (Reestablished Republic Order)

|religion = Bulgarian Orthodox

| higher = Order of Saints Cyril and Methodius

| same = Order of Military Merit

| lower = Order of the Madara Horseman

|ribbon = White with a Green Stripe on either side and a Red Stripe on either Edge
(Colours of the Flag of Bulgaria)

}}

File:Order of Civil Merit badge with diamonds for ladies (Bulgaria before 1946) - Tallinn Museum of Orders.jpg|Order of Civil Merit in diamonds for ladies (Bulgaria before 1946) - Tallinn Museum of Orders

File:Order of Civil Merit 3th Dames class. Kingdom of Bulgaria. Mikhail Trenikhin private collection.jpg|Order of Civil Merit Dame 5th Class for ladies (1946)

File:Yordan Trenkov People's Order for Civic Merit.jpg|Bestowal document for the Order from the reign of Boris III.

File:Kruis van de Bulgaarse Orde van Civiele Verdienste.jpg|Knight 5th Class of the order.

File:Bulgaarse Orde van Civiele Verdienste aan lint met rozet.jpg|Officer 4th Class of the Order.

File:Order of Civil Merit grand cross badge sash (Bulgaria before 1946) - Tallinn Museum of Orders.jpg|Order of Civil Merit Grand Cross badge and sash (Bulgaria before 1946) - Tallinn Museum of Orders

File:Bulgarian Order of Civil Merit Medal Set.jpg|Grand Officer star.

File:Bulgarian Order of Civil Merit Medal Presentation Box.jpg|Grand Officer case.

File:Bulgarian Order of Civil Merit Cross and Ribbon of David R. Francis.jpg|Grand Officer badge.

File:Орден „За Гражданска Заслуга“ I ст. 1908-18 г..gif|Set of the Grand Cross grade of the order (post 1908).

File:Bulgarian Order of Civil Merit - Commander reverse (1891-1944).png|Commander reverse (1908-1944).

File:Bulgarian Order of Civil Merit - Commander (1891-1944).png|Commander (1908-1944).

File:Bulgarian Order of Civil Merit - Commander reverse badge (1891-1944).png|Commander reverse badge (1908-1944).

File:Bulgarian Order of Civil Merit - Commander obverse badge (1891-1944).png|Commander obverse badge (1908-1944).

File:Bulgarian Order of Civil Merit - Commander and case (1891-1944).png|Commander grade and case from the reign of Boris III.

File:Bulgarian Order of the Civil Merit 3.png|Commanders class of the Princely version of the order (1908-1946).

File:Bulgarian Order of the Civil Merit 1.png|Commanders class of the Princely version of the order (1908-1946).

File:Bulgarian Order of the Civil Merit 2.png|Commanders class of the Princely version of the order (1908-1946).

File:Bulgarian Order of the Civil Merit 6.png|Commanders class of the Princely version of the order (1908-1946) by Johann Schwerdtner of Vienna.

File:Bulgarian Order of the Civil Merit 4.png|The "Princely Crown" of Bulgaria used as the suspension on models of the order from 1891-1908.

File:Bulgarian Order of the Civil Merit 5.png|Close-up of the obverse of the cross showing Ferdinand I's monogram.

File:Bulgarian Order of the Civil Merit 9.png|Close-up of the reverse of the badge of the Commanders Class showing the un-enamelled oak leaves on some sets of insignia.

File:Bulgarian Order of the Civil Merit 8.png|Commanders class of the Princely version of the order (1908-1946).

File:Bulgarian Order of the Civil Merit 7.png|Commanders class of the Princely version of the order (1908-1946).

File:Bulgarian Order of the Civil Merit 13.png|Case for the Commanders Class, bearing the Royal Arms of the Kingdom of Bulgaria c.1895

The Order was revived by the current Republic of Bulgaria. However today it is only awarded to Bulgarian citizens. In addition the Order now is only made up of the Officer and Commander grades, and the reverse and obverse of the modern order are switched around. What was the reverse on the Kingdom order is now the obverse and depicts the Bulgarian lion, however without the Saxon shield. The new reverse no longer depicts the royal monogram of Ferdinand I, and instead a rotated tricolour of the Bulgarian flag. While the exact shading has differed dramatically, the ribbon has remained mostly unchanged, interestingly as has also the crown suspension.

{{Reflist}}

Category:Orders, decorations, and medals of Bulgaria