Physical Description

A circular wreath of laurel on the left and oak leaves on the right side, constructed of bronze gilt. The wreath is held together by a ribbon at the bottom and is open at the top, with a crown in the space, which sits atop a monogram ‘LI’. The decoration is cut out. The reverse is smooth and features a vertical pinback.
When worn on a uniform, the decoration was placed on an oval dark blue piece of cloth.

History

The War Veterans' Decoration was founded by Grand Duke Ludwig III and was conferred upon the soldiers who participated in the military campaign that occurred during the reign of Grand Duke Ludwig I. It was primarily conferred upon veterans who fought in the Wars of Liberation against Napoleon, which occurred more than 50 years prior to the medal’s institution.

Due to the small number of surviving veterans at the time, the decoration was seldom awarded and as such, it is quite rare.