Order of Adolphe of Nassau

The Order of Civil and Military Merit of Adolph of Nassau (French: Ordre de Mérite civil et militaire d’Adolphe de Nassau) is an order of merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg for meritorious service to the Grand Duke, the Grand-Ducal House and Luxembourg.

Foreigners may also be made members of the order, and it is common as a diplomatic award.

The order was used as well in World War II to reward a handful of Allied officers who had helped liberate Luxembourg from the rule of Nazi Germany.

Because of the small size of Luxembourg, and its minor role as a campaign theater, membership of the order was not awarded as frequently as other major World War II honours, such as the Croix de Guerre.

"Honorary distinctions of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg" : By statute of the order, princes and princesses of the Grand-Ducal House of Luxembourg are Grand Crosses of the order by birth, but they don't wear the order's decoration until they are 18 years old.

Plaque of a Grand Officer