History

The Order of the Oak Crown was established by Wilhelm II King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg by Grand Ducal Decree on December 29, 1841. It is the oldest Order in Luxembourg.

It is conferred upon civilians and military personnel of Luxembourg, as well as foreigners, in recognition of exceptional achievements. All awards are required to be returned following the death of a member or following their promotion to a higher grade. Promotion to a higher grade can only occur after a period of five years in the lower grade.

At the time of its creation, the Order was awarded in four grades: Grand Cross, Knight of the Star of the Order, Commander, and Knight. On February 5, 1858, the present grades were established when four additional grades were added to the Order.

Known dates of production for different manufacturers are as follows: A. Moussault (1841-1859); Wed. A. Moussault en Zonen (1859-1869); Fa. A. M. Moussault (1869-1871); van der Horst (1872-1882); Artec (1997-).

There are two versions of the Grand Cross Breast Star. The first version was awarded from 1841-1858 in the form of a Maltese Cross. During this period the Grand Cross Breast Star and the Grand Officer (Knight of the Star of the Order) Breast Star were identical. Since 1858, the Grand Cross Breast Star has been an 8-pointed silver star. Both versions feature an obverse inscription that translates to "I Will Maintain."

There may be additional versions of the Grand Cross Breast Star that differ in composition.