The Cross was instituted on 31 August 1939 as a two grade decoration by Danzig Gauleiter Albert Forster.

It was awarded to those, both in Danzig and in the wider Reich, who contributed to building up the Nazi Party in the Free City prior to its incorporation into Germany on 1 September 1939.

The second class, 43mm in height and 31mm wide, is attached to a red ribbon with yellow and white strips on its edges.

The first class cross, slightly larger at 60mm by 44mm, is convex and has a pin on the reverse for wear on the left side of the jacket.

[1] As an award of the National Socialist government of Danzig, the Cross was recognised as an official decoration of a German state, and could therefore be worn in both Nazi Party and Wehrmacht uniform.