National Prize of East Germany
Encyclopedia
History
The National Prize was awarded on 7 October, "Republic Day" every year since 1949. It was given for "outstanding creative work in the fields of science and technology, important mathematical and scientific discoveries and technological inventions, the introduction of new working and production methods" and "outstanding works and achievements in the areas of art and literature." This coveted award could be given to East German citizens, groups, and even foreigners provided they made crucial contributions to socialist culture and science.The National Prize was awarded in three classes, with corresponding monetary awards for each class. First class was 100,000 marks, second class was 50,000 marks and third class was 25,000 marks
The medal is round, gold-plated, 26mm in diameter with a portrait of Goethe circled by the words "German Democratic Republic" on the obverse side. On the reverse are the words "National Award" circled by a pair of laurel wreaths. The ribbon bar consisted of the vertical bars consisting of the national colors of black, red and gold with a gold medal GDR state symbol attached to the center of the ribbon. The medal was worn on the upper right side of the chest.
Well-known awardees
- 1949: Heinrich MannHeinrich MannLuiz Heinrich Mann was a German novelist who wrote works with strong social themes. His attacks on the authoritarian and increasingly militaristic nature of pre-World War II German society led to his exile in 1933.-Life and work:Born in Lübeck as the oldest child of Thomas Johann Heinrich Mann...
, Herbert EulenbergHerbert EulenbergHerbert Eulenberg was a German poet and author born in Cologne-Mülheim, Germany.-1920s:Eulenberg was the publisher of many books, for which he wrote the introductions. His speech on Schiller, which he wrote in 1909, generated heated debates...
, Fred Oelßner, Hermann AbendrothHermann AbendrothHermann Paul Maximilian Abendroth was a German conductor.-Early life:Abendroth was born on 19 January 1883, at Frankfurt, Germany, belonging to a family which had already produced other artistic figures of divers disciplines...
, Jürgen Kuczynski, Erich EngelErich EngelErich Engel was a German film and theatre director.- Biography :Engel was born in Hamburg, where later he studied at the School of Applied Arts...
, Friedrich HundFriedrich HundFriedrich Hermann Hund was a German physicist from Karlsruhe known for his work on atoms and molecules.Hund worked at the Universities of Rostock, Leipzig, Jena, Frankfurt am Main, and Göttingen.... - 1950: Hans Boegehold, Hugo Schrade, August Klemm, Hans MarchwitzaHans MarchwitzaHans Marchwitza was a German writer, proletarian poet, and communist.- Life :Marchwitza was the son of miner Thomas Marchwitza and his wife Thekla Maxisch, and was born in Scharley near Beuthen in Upper Silesia. Already at fourteen years old Marchwitza was working underground in the mines...
, Eduard Maurer - 1951: Bertolt BrechtBertolt BrechtBertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
, Jurij BrězanJurij BrezanJurij Brězan was a Sorbian writer. He lived in East Germany.- Life and work :Brězan was born in Räckelwitz near Kamenz. He attended school in Bautzen and then studied political economics. After 1933, he worked illegally for Domowina and was active in a Sorbian resistance group. In 1937-38, he...
, Cuno HoffmeisterCuno HoffmeisterCuno Hoffmeister was a German astronomerand founder of Sonneberg Observatory.Born in Sonneberg in 1892, Hoffmeister obtained his first telescope in 1905 and became an avid amateur astronomer. After his father lost most of his money in 1914, Hoffmeister had to leave school in 1916 to start an...
, Anna SeghersAnna SeghersAnna Seghers was a German writer famous for depicting the moral experience of the Second World War.- Life :...
, André Asriel, Erika MannErika MannErika Julia Hedwig Mann was a German actress and writer, the eldest daughter of novelist Thomas Mann and Katia Mann.-Life:...
, Eduard Claudius - 1952: Walter Arnold, Max Burghardt
- 1953: Eberhard Schmidt
- 1954: Friedrich Behrens, Max Burghardt, Eduard Maurer, Ehm WelkEhm WelkEmil Welk, known by his nickname Ehm Welk , was a German journalist, writer, professor and founder of Volkshochschulen...
- 1955: Ernst BlochErnst BlochErnst Bloch was a German Marxist philosopher.Bloch was influenced by both Hegel and Marx and, as he always confessed, by novelist Karl May. He was also interested in music and art . He established friendships with Georg Lukács, Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill and Theodor W. Adorno...
, Hans MarchwitzaHans MarchwitzaHans Marchwitza was a German writer, proletarian poet, and communist.- Life :Marchwitza was the son of miner Thomas Marchwitza and his wife Thekla Maxisch, and was born in Scharley near Beuthen in Upper Silesia. Already at fourteen years old Marchwitza was working underground in the mines...
, Erwin StrittmatterErwin StrittmatterErwin Strittmatter was a German writer. Strittmatter was one of the most famous writers in the GDR.... - 1957: Franz FühmannFranz FühmannFranz Fühmann was a German writer. He lived and worked as a short story writer, essayist and children's book author in East Germany...
, Erich EngelErich EngelErich Engel was a German film and theatre director.- Biography :Engel was born in Hamburg, where later he studied at the School of Applied Arts... - 1958: Bruno ApitzBruno ApitzBruno Apitz was a German writer.Apitz was born in Leipzig as the twelfth child of a washer woman. He attended school until he was fourteen, then started training as a printer. During World War I he was a passionate supporter of German Communist Party leader Karl Liebknecht...
, Manfred von ArdenneManfred von ArdenneManfred von Ardenne was a German research and applied physicist and inventor. He took out approximately 600 patents in fields including electron microscopy, medical technology, nuclear technology, plasma physics, and radio and television technology... - 1959: Stefan HeymStefan HeymHelmut Flieg was a German-Jewish writer, known by his pseudonym Stefan Heym. He lived in the United States between 1935 and 1952, before moving back to the part of his native Germany which was, from 1949–1990, German Democratic Republic...
, Alfred LemmnitzAlfred LemmnitzAlfred Lemmnitz was East Germany's National Education Minister.Lemmnitz was born in Taucha, Saxony and completed training as a typesetter and studies in economics at the University of Leipzig. From 1927 to 1931, he was a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany and youth leader of the...
, Erwin KramerErwin KramerErwin Kramer was a German politician, East German Minister of transportation and General Director of the Deutsche Reichsbahn ....
, Walter Arnold, Kurt BarthelKurt BarthelKurt Barthel is the father of the modern United States nudist movement. He began the American League for Physical Culture in 1929 with an ad, first in the leading German nudist magazines published in Berlin by Robert Laurer "Lichtland" and "Lachendes Leben" , then later in a newspaper seeking...
, Gret PaluccaGret PaluccaGret Palucca was a German dancer and teacher.Shortly after birth, her family moved to San Francisco, returning with her mother to Dresden in 1909. There she received ballet lessons with Heinrich Kröller from 1914 to 1916...
, Ludwig Deiters, Werner Bergmann, Anna SeghersAnna SeghersAnna Seghers was a German writer famous for depicting the moral experience of the Second World War.- Life :...
, Robert HavemannRobert HavemannRobert Havemann was a chemist, and an East German dissident.He studied chemistry in Berlin and Munich from 1929 to 1933, and then later received a doctorate in physical chemistry from the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute....
, Will LammertWill LammertWill Lammert was a German sculptor. In 1959 he was posthumously awarded the National Prize of the German Democratic Republic.- Germany :... - 1960: Karl Ewald Böhm, Werner EggerathWerner EggerathWerner Eggerath was an East German author and communist politician. He was a member of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany and its first secretary in Thuringia from 21 April 1946 to 1947, already having held that position in the Communist Party of Germany before its merger into the SED...
- 1961: Helmut BaierlHelmut BaierlHelmut Johannes Baierl was a German playwright and vice president of the Akademie der Künste of East Germany. He was born in Rumburk and died in Berlin...
, Erich Brehm - 1963: Bruno ApitzBruno ApitzBruno Apitz was a German writer.Apitz was born in Leipzig as the twelfth child of a washer woman. He attended school until he was fourteen, then started training as a printer. During World War I he was a passionate supporter of German Communist Party leader Karl Liebknecht...
, Horst Drinda, Gisela MayGisela MayGisela May is a distinguished German character actress of theatre and a singer, critically acclaimed for performing the songs written by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weil. She also appeared as a film and TV actress in a number of movies between 1951 and 1991.Gisela May studied at the drama school in...
, Werner NeumannWerner NeumannWerner Neumann was a German musicologist. He founded the Bach-Archiv Leipzig on 20 November 1950 and was a principal editor of the Neue Bach-Ausgabe, the second edition of the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach.- Professional career :Neumann studied at the Conservatory of Leipzig from 1928 to... - 1964: Christa WolfChrista WolfChrista Wolf was a German literary critic, novelist, and essayist. She is one of the best-known writers to have emerged from the former East Germany.-Biography:...
, Jurij BrězanJurij BrezanJurij Brězan was a Sorbian writer. He lived in East Germany.- Life and work :Brězan was born in Räckelwitz near Kamenz. He attended school in Bautzen and then studied political economics. After 1933, he worked illegally for Domowina and was active in a Sorbian resistance group. In 1937-38, he...
, Harry ThürkHarry ThürkHarry Thürk was a German writer.- Life :After attending trade school in Upper Silesia, Thürk began to work for the German train system . After being drafted in 1944 and participating in World War II, he returned home at the end of the war. However, he was forced to flee from Poland to Weimar...
, Hans MarchwitzaHans MarchwitzaHans Marchwitza was a German writer, proletarian poet, and communist.- Life :Marchwitza was the son of miner Thomas Marchwitza and his wife Thekla Maxisch, and was born in Scharley near Beuthen in Upper Silesia. Already at fourteen years old Marchwitza was working underground in the mines... - 1965: Manfred von ArdenneManfred von ArdenneManfred von Ardenne was a German research and applied physicist and inventor. He took out approximately 600 patents in fields including electron microscopy, medical technology, nuclear technology, plasma physics, and radio and television technology...
, Wolf KaiserWolf KaiserWolf Kaiser was a German theatre and film actor. He grew up in Switzerland, where he studied chemistry and physiology. In 1937 he was deemed unfit for service in the Wehrmacht, and then went to Berlin where he trained as an actor.-Career:... - 1966: Horst E. Brandt, Ernst BuschErnst Busch (actor)Ernst Busch was a German singer and actor.Busch first rose to prominence as an interpreter of political songs, particularly those of Kurt Tucholsky, in the Berlin Kabarett scene of the 1920s...
- 1967: Theo Balden, Lea Grundig, Wolf KaiserWolf KaiserWolf Kaiser was a German theatre and film actor. He grew up in Switzerland, where he studied chemistry and physiology. In 1937 he was deemed unfit for service in the Wehrmacht, and then went to Berlin where he trained as an actor.-Career:...
- 1968: Lothar Bellag, Werner Bergmann, Wolf KaiserWolf KaiserWolf Kaiser was a German theatre and film actor. He grew up in Switzerland, where he studied chemistry and physiology. In 1937 he was deemed unfit for service in the Wehrmacht, and then went to Berlin where he trained as an actor.-Career:...
, Manfred KrugManfred KrugManfred Krug is a German actor and singer.-Life and work:After moving to East Germany at the age of 13, Manfred Krug worked at a steel plant before beginning his acting career on the stage and, ultimately, in film... - 1969: Alfred KurellaAlfred KurellaAlfred Kurella was a German author and functionary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany in East Germany.Kurella was born in Brzeg, Silesia...
, Horst E. Brandt, Theo AdamTheo AdamTheo Adam is a distinguished German classical bass-baritone who had an active international career in operas, concerts, and recitals from the 1940s through the 1990s. He particularly excelled in portraying roles from the operas of Richard Wagner...
, Otto Braun - 1970: Helmut BaierlHelmut BaierlHelmut Johannes Baierl was a German playwright and vice president of the Akademie der Künste of East Germany. He was born in Rumburk and died in Berlin...
, Horst Drinda, Peter Edel, Johann Cilenšek - 1971: Horst E. Brandt, Werner Bergmann, Horst Drinda, Kurt Böwe, Günter Caspar, Manfred KrugManfred KrugManfred Krug is a German actor and singer.-Life and work:After moving to East Germany at the age of 13, Manfred Krug worked at a steel plant before beginning his acting career on the stage and, ultimately, in film...
, Anna SeghersAnna SeghersAnna Seghers was a German writer famous for depicting the moral experience of the Second World War.- Life :... - 1972: Curt Querner, Peter SchreierPeter SchreierPeter Schreier is a German tenor and conductor.-Early life:Schreier was born in Meissen, Saxony, and spent his first years in the small village of Gauernitz, near Meissen, where his father was a teacher, cantor and organist...
- 1973: Hannelore BeyHannelore BeyHannelore Bey was a prima ballerina at the Komische Oper Berlin.-Life:She studied from 1956 to 1961 at the Palucca school in Dresden. She then studied from 1965 to 1966 at the Waganowa Academy in Leningrad with Belikowa and Puschkin...
, Hermann KantHermann KantHermann Kant is a German writer born in Hamburg noted for his writings during the time of East Germany. He won the Heinrich Mann Prize in 1967.-References:...
, Gisela MayGisela MayGisela May is a distinguished German character actress of theatre and a singer, critically acclaimed for performing the songs written by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weil. She also appeared as a film and TV actress in a number of movies between 1951 and 1991.Gisela May studied at the drama school in... - 1974: Peter HacksPeter HacksPeter Hacks was a German playwright, author, and essayist.Hacks was born in Breslau , Lower Silesia. Displaced by World War II, Hacks settled in Munich in 1947, where he made acquaintance with Thomas Mann and Bertolt Brecht...
, Hans Koch, Franz FühmannFranz FühmannFranz Fühmann was a German writer. He lived and worked as a short story writer, essayist and children's book author in East Germany...
, Jürgen Kuczynski, Frank SchöbelFrank SchöbelFrank Schöbel Frank Schöbel Frank Schöbel (b. 11 December 1942, Leipzig, Saxony, Germany is a German musician. He was one of the most successful pop singers in communist East Germany (GDR) and remained so after the German reunification.-Career:... - 1975: Frank BeyerFrank BeyerFrank Beyer was German film director. In East Germany he was one of the most important film directors, working for the state film monopoly DEFA and directed films that dealt mostly with the Nazi era and contemporary East Germany. His film Traces of Stones was banned for 20 years in 1966 by the...
, Jurek BeckerJurek BeckerJurek Becker was a Polish-born German writer, film-author and GDR dissident. His most famous novel is Jacob the Liar, which has been made into two films. He lived in Łódź during World War II for about two years and survived the Holocaust.-Childhood:Jurek Becker was born in 1937 and lived in the... - 1976: Theo Balden, Jurij BrězanJurij BrezanJurij Brězan was a Sorbian writer. He lived in East Germany.- Life and work :Brězan was born in Räckelwitz near Kamenz. He attended school in Bautzen and then studied political economics. After 1933, he worked illegally for Domowina and was active in a Sorbian resistance group. In 1937-38, he...
, Angelica DomröseAngelica DomröseAngelica Domröse is a German actress, who became famous in the role of Paula in Heiner Carow's film "The Legend of Paul and Paula". Her Mediterranean appearance is the result of her biological father being a prisoner of war from France.-Life:After training as a shorthand typist Domröse worked in a... - 1977: Peter HacksPeter HacksPeter Hacks was a German playwright, author, and essayist.Hacks was born in Breslau , Lower Silesia. Displaced by World War II, Hacks settled in Munich in 1947, where he made acquaintance with Thomas Mann and Bertolt Brecht...
, Harry ThürkHarry ThürkHarry Thürk was a German writer.- Life :After attending trade school in Upper Silesia, Thürk began to work for the German train system . After being drafted in 1944 and participating in World War II, he returned home at the end of the war. However, he was forced to flee from Poland to Weimar... - 1979: Ernst BuschErnst Busch (actor)Ernst Busch was a German singer and actor.Busch first rose to prominence as an interpreter of political songs, particularly those of Kurt Tucholsky, in the Berlin Kabarett scene of the 1920s...
, Peter DammPeter DammPeter Damm is a German horn player.He began his musical education aged eleven, on the violin, and started playing the horn in 1951 and graduated from the Franz Liszt Academy in 1957. In 1959 he was appointed as principal horn of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, and from 1969 to 2002 he was... - 1980: Heiner CarowHeiner CarowHeiner Carow was a German film director and screenwriter. His 1986 film So Many Dreams was entered into the 37th Berlin International Film Festival. The following year, he was a member of the jury at the 38th Berlin International Film Festival...
- 1981: Gret PaluccaGret PaluccaGret Palucca was a German dancer and teacher.Shortly after birth, her family moved to San Francisco, returning with her mother to Dresden in 1909. There she received ballet lessons with Heinrich Kröller from 1914 to 1916...
- 1982: PuhdysPuhdysThe Puhdys are a veteran German rock band, formed in Oranienburg , in what was then the German Democratic Republic, in 1969, although they had been performing together, with various lineups, as the Puhdys since 1965. They continue to record and tour...
, Kurt MasurKurt MasurKurt Masur is a German conductor, particularly noted for his interpretation of German Romantic music.- Biography :Masur was born in Brieg, Lower Silesia, Germany and studied piano, composition and conducting in Leipzig, Saxony. Masur has been married three times... - 1983: Hermann KantHermann KantHermann Kant is a German writer born in Hamburg noted for his writings during the time of East Germany. He won the Heinrich Mann Prize in 1967.-References:...
- 1984: Karat (band), Reinhard Lakomy
- 1985: Kurt DemmlerKurt DemmlerKurt Demmler, born Kurt Abramowitz was a German songwriter. He was a noted lyricist and songwriter for many German rock bands....
- 1986: Heiner MüllerHeiner MüllerHeiner Müller was a German dramatist, poet, writer, essayist and theatre director. Described as "the theatre's greatest living poet" since Samuel Beckett, Müller is arguably the most important German dramatist of the 20th century after Bertolt Brecht...
- 1987: Christa WolfChrista WolfChrista Wolf was a German literary critic, novelist, and essayist. She is one of the best-known writers to have emerged from the former East Germany.-Biography:...
, Lothar Bellag, Ruth BerghausRuth BerghausRuth Berghaus was a German choreographer and opera and theatre director.Berghaus was born in Dresden and studied Expressionist dance and Dance direction with Gret Palucca there and was an advanced student at the German Academy of Arts in Berlin, at least part of the time under Walter Felsenstein -... - 1988: Category Science and Technology: Research collective in Dresden (For development on the Megabit-Chip); Volker BraunVolker BraunVolker Braun is a German writer. His works include Provokation für mich -- a collection of poems written between 1959 and 1964 and published in 1965, a play, Die Kipper , and Das ungezwungne Leben Kasts .-Life:Volker Braun, who worked in...
- 1989: Günter de BruynGünter de BruynGünter de Bruyn is a German author.-Life:Günter de Bruyn was born in Berlin and served as a Luftwaffenhelfer and soldier in World War II. After his release from his American arrest, he found a place as a farm worker in Hesse. After his return to Berlin, he would be trained as a "new teacher" in...
(turned down), Gerhard Schöne