Statutes
Annex to the Act No. 157/1994 Coll.
Art. 1
The Medal of Merit shall be awarded by the President of the Republic to honour persons who have done meritorious services to the state or a territorial self-governing entity in the fields of economy, science, technology, culture, arts, sports, enlightenment and education, defence and security of the state and the people.
Art. 2
(1) The Medal of Merit comes in three grades, First Grade being the highest.
(2) The holder shall receive the medal together with a numbered certificate.
Art. 3
The Medal of Merit is 33 mm in diameter. The obverse of the medal bears a symbolic representation of service to the Republic and the inscription "ZA ZASLUHY" ("For Meritorious Service"). The reverse bears the Greater Coat of Arms of the Czech Republic. The First Grade Medal is struck of silver and gilded. The Second Grade Medal is struck of silver. The Third Grade Medal is struck of bronze. The medal is to be worn suspended from a breast ribbon, threaded through, 38 mm wide. The ribbon for the First Grade is yellow-dark violet-yellow, the widths of the stripes being 18:2:18 mm. The ribbon for the Second Grade is yellow-dark violet-yellow-dark violet-yellow, the widths of the stripes being 16:2:2:2:16 mm. The ribbon for the Third Grade is yellow-dark violet-yellow-dark violet-yellow-dark violet-yellow, the widths of the stripes being 14:2:2:2:2:2:14 mm. The substitute ribbon is 38x10 mm in size.
Art. 4
The medal "in natura" or the substitute ribbon is to be worn on the left side of the breast. On ceremonial occasions the medal shall be worn "in natura". When the holder appears in civilian attire an 8-mm-wide ribbon may be worn on the left lapel, threaded through the buttonhole.
Art. 5
The affairs relating to the Medal of Merit shall be administered by the Office of the President of the Republic.
Art. 6
The design of the medal shall be chosen on the basis of a competition of tenders invited by the Office of the President of the Republic.
Sections 847 and subsequent of the Civil Code
The Chapel of the Holy Cross in Prague Castle’s Second Courtyard houses an extraordinary display of masterpieces amassed from the 11th century for the St. Vitus Church and Cathedral treasury.
