The Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas is the Lithuanian Presidential Award which was re-instituted to honour the citizens of Lithuania

Lithuania

Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...

 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

Columns of Gediminas

The Columns of Gediminas or Pillars of Gediminids are one of the earliest symbols of Lithuania and one of its historical coats of arms. They were used in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, initially as a rulers' personal insignia, a state symbol, and later as a part of heraldic signs of leading...

, one of the national symbols of Lithuania.

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

The first five persons awarded the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas after the restoration of the Independent State of Lithuania were poets Justinas Marcinkevičius

Justinas Marcinkevicius

Justinas Marcinkevičius was a prominent Lithuanian poet and playwright.-Life and career:Marcinkevičius was born in 1930 in Važatkiemis, Prienai district. In 1954 he graduated from Vilnius University History and Philology faculty with a degree in Lithuanian language and Literature. He joined the...

, Bernardas Brazdžionis

Bernardas Brazdžionis

Bernardas Brazdžionis was a Lithuanian poet. Bernardas Brazdžionis also used various pen names, such as Vytė Nemunėlis, Jaunasis Vaidevutis.-Biography:...

, priest Ričardas Mikutavičius

Ricardas Mikutavicius

Ričardas Mikutavičius was a Lithuanian priest, theologist, poet and one of the most famous collectors of art in Lithuania.- Biography :...

, painter Vytautas Kazimieras Jonynas

Vytautas Kazimieras Jonynas

Vytautas Kazimieras Jonynas was one of most renowned 20th century Lithuanian artists...

 and mathematician Jonas Kubilius

Jonas Kubilius

Jonas Kubilius was a Lithuanian mathematician who worked in probability theory and number theory. He was rector of Vilnius University for 32 years, and served one term in the Lithuanian parliament.-Life and education:...

. The foreigner recipients of the Order include the former President of the International Olympic Committee, Juan Antonio Samaranch

Juan Antonio Samaranch

Don Juan Antonio Samaranch y Torelló, 1st Marquis of Samaranch, Grandee of Spain , known in Catalan as Joan Antoni Samaranch i Torelló , was a Catalan Spanish sports administrator who served as the seventh President of the International Olympic Committee from 1980 to 2001...

, philanthropist George Soros

George Soros

George Soros is a Hungarian-American business magnate, investor, philosopher, and philanthropist. He is the chairman of Soros Fund Management. Soros supports progressive-liberal causes...

, General James L. Jones

James L. Jones

James Logan Jones, Jr. is the former United States National Security Advisor and a retired United States Marine Corps General....

, prominent cellist Mstislav Rostropovich

Mstislav Rostropovich

Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, KBE , known to close friends as Slava, was a Soviet and Russian cellist and conductor. He was married to the soprano Galina Vishnevskaya. He is widely considered to have been the greatest cellist of the second half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest of...

, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of the Republic of Lithuania to UNESCO Ina Marciulionyte

Ina Marčiulionytė

Ina Marčiulionytė is the Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of the Republic of Lithuania to UNESCO at the headquarters in Paris and has served in that post since 2003...

and others.

External links

• Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas