Slovakia has a system of orders and decorations for citizens who do great deeds for the country. With the exception of the Order of the White Double Cross, all the orders are reserved for Slovak citizens. Below is a list of national decorations, in order of importance:
The Order of the White Double Cross is conferred only upon foreign citizens:
The medal of this order consists of a double white cross on a red background; the ribbon is blue with a red central stripe. The Order of the White Double Cross is divided into three classes: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. [1] [2]
The Order of Andrej Hlinka, named after the Slovak priest and politician, is conferred upon Slovak citizens "for special merit in the establishment of the Slovak Republic". It is symbolized by a medallion with a central white cross pattée; Hlinka's profile is in the center of the cross. The ribbon is blue with a central stripe. The Order of Andrej Hlinka is divided into three classes: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. [1] [2]
The Order of Ľudovít Štúr, named after the Slovak poet, philosopher, politician, and writer, is conferred upon Slovak citizens:
The medal of this order consists of Štúr's head on a red background; the ribbon is half white, half red, with a blue central stripe. The Order of Ľudovít Štúr is divided into three classes: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. [1] [2]
The Milan Rastislav Štefánik Cross, named after the Slovak politician, aviator, and astronomer, is awarded to Slovak citizens "for risking their life to defend Slovakia, for risking their life to save another person's life, or for risking their life to save material values". The medal consists of Štefánik's head on a pale blue background; the ribbon is pale blue. The Milan Rastislav Štefánik Cross is divided into three classes: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. [1] [2]
The Pribina Cross, named after the 9th-century prince of Nitra, is awarded to Slovak citizens for "special merit for economic, social, or cultural development of the Slovak Republic". The medal consists of Pribina's head on a red background; the ribbon is dark red with a central crown. The Pribina Cross is divided into three classes: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. [1] [2]
The Medal of the President of the Slovak Republic is awarded to Slovak and foreign citizens:
The Medal for Bravery is awarded to Slovak soldiers "for military bravery or valor". [1] [2]
The Cross of the President of the Slovak Republic, [3] controversially established in 2001 by president Rudolf Schuster, [4] is awarded for "extraordinary merits to the Slovak Republic, its establishment, development, and good name abroad; for the observance and protection of fundamental rights and freedoms; for the development of democracy, including ensuring the proper functioning of constitutional bodies; for development, especially in the fields of defense and security, economy, science, and technology; in the social field; in the fields of education, culture, art, and sport; and for saving human life and material values". [4] The decoration was discontinued in 2004, upon the end of Schuster's presidency. [5] It was divided into two classes. [5]
The Medal for Services to Slovak Diplomacy is the highest decoration of the Slovak Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. It is awarded for merits to foreign affairs. [6]
Milan Rastislav Štefánik was a Slovak politician, diplomat, aviator and astronomer. During World War I, he served at the same time as a general in the French Army and as Minister of War for Czechoslovakia. As one of the leading members of the Czechoslovak National Council, he contributed decisively to the cause of Czechoslovak sovereignty, since the status of Czech- and Slovak-populated territories was one of those in question until shortly before the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in 1918.
Ivan Gašparovič is a Slovak politician and lawyer who was the third president of Slovakia from 2004 to 2014. He was also the first and currently the only Slovak president to be re-elected.
Sabinov is a small town located in the Prešov Region, approximately 20 km from Prešov and 55 km from Košice. The population of Sabinov is 12,700.
Authorized foreign decorations of the United States military are those military decorations which have been approved for wear by members of the United States armed forces but whose awarding authority is the government of a country other than the United States.
Peter Lipa is a Slovak singer, composer, and promoter of jazz. He has been called the Father of Slovak Jazz. Lipa is regarded as the most significant figure in the Slovak jazz scene. He developed a unique vocal style that focused on the lyrics. His music is influenced by performers including Jimmy Rushing, Ray Charles, Al Jarreau, Joe Cocker, and Bobby McFerrin, and is a mix of jazz and blues. He was the first jazz singer to use Slovak.
Peter Breiner is a Slovak pianist, conductor, and composer.
Stará Bystrica is a village and municipality in Čadca District in the Žilina Region of Northern Slovakia. It is the home to the world's youngest astronomical clock, completed in 2009.
The Military Merit Cross was a decoration of the Empire of Austria and, after the establishment of the Dual Monarchy in 1867, the Empire of Austria-Hungary. It was first established on October 22, 1849 and underwent several revisions to its design and award criteria over the years of its existence. It became obsolete in 1918 with the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
State decorations of the Republic of Serbia are regulated by the 2009 Law on Decorations.
The Cross of Merit of the Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic was established on 16 December 1996. The military decoration is presented in three classes, and was the highest award bestowed by the Minister of Defence until October 2008.
Ladislav Deák was a prominent Slovak historian.
Andrej Kiska is a Slovak politician, entrepreneur, writer and philanthropist who served as the fourth president of Slovakia from 2014 to 2019. He ran as an independent candidate in the 2014 presidential election in which he was elected to the presidency in the second round of voting over Prime Minister Robert Fico. Kiska declined to run for a second term in 2019. He has written two books about happiness, success and his life.
Alexander Ruttkay is a Hungarian archeologist and historian. The head of the Archeological Institute of Slovak Academy of Science in Nitra in 1991–2008.
Richard Marsina was a Slovak historian, one of the founders of modern Slovak histography and a prominent expert on the medieval history of Slovakia. His scientific activities include research and publication of medieval sources, research of the oldest settlements in Slovakia, medieval towns, the history of Great Moravia, the Christianisation of Slovakia and of the Kingdom of Hungary and the oldest history of the Bishopric of Nitra. He worked in leading position at various scientific institutions like the Institute of History of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS), the Slovak Society for History, the Scientific Board for Historical Sciences, Trnava University in Trnava, the Department of History at Matica slovenská and others. In the 1960s, he also worked at the research institute of SAS in Budapest, was the secretary of the Czechoslovak section of the joint Czech-Slovak-Hungarian historical commission, and the secretary of the board of experts at the commission on the sharing of cultural heritage with the Hungarian People's Republic.
Presidential elections were held in Slovakia in March 2019. Incumbent President Andrej Kiska did not run for a second term.
Branislav Varsik was a Slovak historian and archivist. His major contribution was to the research of the hussite movement on the territory of present-day Slovakia and history of the settlement.
Zuzana Čaputová is a Slovak politician, lawyer and environmental activist. She is the fifth president of Slovakia, a position she has held since 15 June 2019. Čaputová is the first woman to hold the presidency, as well as the youngest president in the history of Slovakia, elected at the age of 45.
The Order of Ľudovít Štúr is the third highest Slovak state decoration conferred by the President of the Slovak Republic upon the proposal of the government. The president, who is a recipient, 1st Class, of the order by virtue of holding office, is not obligated to respect the proposal.
Eva Siracká was a Slovak physician. Between 1990 and 2020, she served as the president of the League Against Cancer NGO. In 2011, she became the first European woman to receive the Sasakawa Health Prize, awarded by the World Health Organisation. She is considered one of the "Greatest Slovaks".
Miroslav Belanský was a Slovak agronomist who served as the first minister of Agriculture of Slovakia after the Velvet Revolution in the transition government of Milan Čič.
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