The Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas is the Lithuanian Presidential Award which was re-instituted to honour the citizens of Lithuania for outstanding performance in civil and public offices. Foreign nationals may also be awarded this Order. The Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas was instituted in 1928. It features the Columns of Gediminas, one of the national symbols of Lithuania.[1]
Classes
The Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas has five classes:
| 1. Grand Cross | 
|
| 2. Commander's Grand Cross | 
|
| 3. Commander's Cross | 
|
| 4. Officer's Cross | 
|
| 5. Knight's Cross | 
|
| 6. Medal | 
|
Notable recipients
The first five persons awarded the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas after the restoration of the Independent State of Lithuania in 1991 were poets Justinas Marcinkevičius, Bernardas Brazdžionis, priest Ričardas Mikutavičius, painter Vytautas Kazimieras Jonynas and mathematician Jonas Kubilius.[1]
Other notable recipients
- Edvard Beneš, Czech politician and President of Czechoslovakia
- Elena Bonner, physician, Soviet human rights activist, writer, wife of Andrei Sakharov
- Algirdas Budrys, clarinetist
- Christopher Cox, former U.S. Representative
- Štefan Füle, Czech politician and diplomat[2]
- James L. Jones, retired United States National Security Advisor and Commandant of the Marine Corps
- Jacek Kuroń, Polish historian and politician
- Ina Marčiulionytė, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of the Republic of Lithuania to UNESCO
- George Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen, tenth Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization[3]
- Mstislav Rostropovich, cellist[1]
- Juan Antonio Samaranch, former President of the International Olympic Committee[1]
- George Soros, philanthropist[1]
- Antanina Vainiūnaitė-Kubertavičienė, Lithuanian actress
- Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager, Grand Chancellor of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta
- Arvydas Každailis, Lithuanian artist
Images of order insignia
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1st Class Order -
2nd Class Order -
3rd Class Order -
4th Class Order -
5th Class Order -
Medal
References
- ^ a b c d e "Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas". President of the Republic of Lithuania. Archived from the original on 27 February 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
- ^ "NATO Biographies: Head of the Czech Delegation to NATO". Nato.int. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
- ^ "NATO Media Library: - NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas by the Lithuanian President, Rolandas Paksas - 4 Nov. 2003". Nato.int. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
External links
- Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas Archived 2013-02-27 at the Wayback Machine
