Johannes-R.-Becher-Medaille Explained

The Johannes-R.-Becher-Medaille was a civil decoration of East Germany created in homage to the poet and politician Johannes R. Becher. It was awarded by the Cultural Association of the GDR.

Description

The medal is made of bronze, with a diameter of four centimetres.^[1] and shows on the obverse side a portrait of Johannes R. Becher surrounded by his name written in capital letters.^[2]

Award conditions

It rewarded services "for the development of socialist culture in the GDR". It was awarded to individuals and communities from 1961 onwards for achievements in the fields of arts and culture, but also sports and recreation. The Johannes R. Becher Medal had three levels: bronze, silver and gold.^[3]

The award ceremony usually took place on 22 May, Johannes R. Becher's birthday.^[3]

Recipients

• 1961: Anna Seghers, Nathan Notowicz
• 1962: Hans Pischner, Ehm Welk, (Silver)
• 1963: Walter Womacka
• 1964: Gret Palucca (Gold), Dieter Noll
• 1965: (Gold)
• 1966: Harry Hindemith (Gold), Herbert Sandberg
• 1967: Richard Paulick (Gold), Herbert Ihering
• 1968: Erich Arendt, (Silver),, Bernhard Seeger
• 1969: Konrad Wolf (Gold),
• 1970: Barbara Dittus
• 1971: Herbert Scurla
• 1973: Annemarie Auer
• 1975:, Marja Kubašec
• 1978: Hanns Cibulka, (Gold)
• 1981: Inge Keller, Heinz Kahlau
• 1985: Helmut Baierl
  • Konstantin Fedin
• Hedwig Voegt

According to the German article, 171 people are recipients of this medal.

Further reading

• Book: de. Frank Bartel. Auszeichnungen der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik. Von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart. Militärverlag der DDR. Berlin. 1979. .

Notes and References

1. Web site: de. Johannes R. Becher-Medaille. deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de. 15 October 2020. .
2. https://www.mdr.de/zeitreise/artikel75686.html Kleines ABC der Orden und Auszeichnungen
3. Web site: de. Johannes-R.-Becher-Medaille. mdr.de. 15 October 2020. .