Order of Merit of Hungarian Freedom

The Hungarian Order of Freedom was a high Hungarian state decoration in the years following the Second World War and the 1956 Revolution.

The National Assembly established the order on 10 May 1946, on the proposal of the Minister of Defence, under Act VIII of 1946: “Section 1 (1) The ‘Hungarian Order of Freedom’ is hereby established, to be awarded to Hungarian and foreign civilian and military persons in recognition of the outstanding civilian or military merits of freedom fighters in the struggle for the birth and strengthening of an independent and democratic Hungary, and generally for freedom and democracy.” This act was later supplemented by Act III of 1948.

It had two classes. A total of 3,978 were awarded (some people received both the silver and bronze classes).

The first group of recipients, about 500 people, received it for their participation in the resistance and partisan movements, that is, in the fight against the German army.

It was awarded only until 1953, but could continue to be worn thereafter. It was revived in November 1957 and awarded again until April 1958.