How Baltic, Nordic and Eastern European countries award their highest state honours

A country's highest award, usually an order, is as much a symbol of statehood as its flag, anthem or coat of arms. A survey in the Latvian newspaper Diena compares how top honours systems have developed and work across Europe. Criteria differ, as does whether foreigners may receive the orders. Many countries divide awards into classes, though this is not required.

Lithuania and Estonia

Like Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia built their honours systems in the interwar period and restored them after regaining independence in 1991.

Lithuania's highest award is the Order of Vytautas the Great, established on 1 September 1930 to mark the 500th anniversary of the death of Grand Duke Vytautas the Great. It is given to heads of state and to citizens. Awards are presented on 16 February, the Day of the Restoration of the State, or on 6 July, Statehood Day.

In Estonia the top honour is the Order of the National Coat of Arms, given only to Estonian citizens. Foreigners can receive the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana. The Coat of Arms order was founded in 1936, restored on 5 May 1994, and is traditionally presented on 24 February, Independence Day.

Nordic countries

Denmark's Order of the Elephant is usually given to members of the royal family, representatives of other royal houses and visiting foreign leaders; ordinary citizens can aspire to the Order of the Dannebrog. The Elephant order traces its roots to a 15th-century religious brotherhood, and King Christian V founded it in its current form in 1693.

Iceland's Order of the Falcon was introduced by King Christian X, and since the republic was established it has been awarded by the president. Norway's Order of St. Olav dates from 1847 and since 1985 has gone only to citizens, with occasional exceptions for foreign leaders. In Sweden, 891 people have been admitted to the Royal Order of the Seraphim since 1748. Finland's Order of the White Rose was decided on in 1919 by Mannerheim.

Eastern Europe

In Poland the Order of the White Eagle, founded in 1705, was restored as the top state award. Its motto was changed in 1921 to "For the fatherland and the people". The order was abolished after the third partition of Poland in 1795, restored in 1807, and awarded in the Kingdom of Poland from 1815 to 1831.