Medal of Merit (Czech Republic)

Medal of Merit Medaile Za zásluhy
Medal of Merit, Second class
Awarded by President of the Czech Republic
Country	Czech Republic
Type	Decoration
Eligibility	Czech civilians and military members
Awarded for	Meritorious services to the state
Status	Currently awarded
Statistics
Established	9 July 1994
Precedence
Next (higher)	Medal of Heroism
Next (lower)	Cross of Merit of the Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic
Ribbon bar of the 1st Class Ribbon bar of the 2nd Class Ribbon bar of the 3rd Class

The Medal of Merit (Czech: Medaile Za zásluhy) is an award of the Czech Republic which comes in three grades, the First Grade being the highest. It awards people for service to the Republic in a number of different public arenas, including: "the economy, science, technology, culture, arts, sports, enlightenment and education, defense and security of the state and the people".^[1]

Appearance

The medal itself is a simple breast ribbon, primarily gold in color, with thin, violet stripes running the vertical length of the ribbon. The number of stripes indicates the grade of the medal; a single stripe indicates the highest grade, while three stripes mark the lowest grade. The medals themselves are of identical design, with the official symbol of the Medal of Merit, and the inscription "ZA ZÁSLUHY" ("For Meritorious Service"), on the obverse and the Greater Coat of Arms of the Czech Republic on the reverse. The type of metal used further indicates the grade; Gilded silver is used for First Grade, silver for Second, and bronze for Third.

History

The Medal of Merit was originally created by the Parliament of the Czechoslovak Federal Republic in 1990.^[2] However, no one was awarded the medal prior to its reauthorization by the Parliament of the Czech Republic.^[3]

References

1. ^ Annex to Act 157/1994, regarding the Medal of Merit
2. ^ Annex to Act 404/90, regarding the Medal of Merit
3. ^ List of Honoured, CSFR Medal of Merit