The Hans Beimler Medal was a GDR

German Democratic Republic

The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...

 decoration. The medal was instituted in 17 May 1956 and was awarded to East Germans who fought in the Spanish civil war

Spanish Civil War

The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...

 on the side of the republicans. The medal was named after Hans Beimler

Hans Beimler (Communist)

Hans Beimler was an active member of the German Communist Party and a deputy in the Reichstag.Beimler was born in Munich and served in the Kaiserliche Marine during the First World War...

, the first commissar

Commissar

Commissar is the English transliteration of an official title used in Russia from the time of Peter the Great.The title was used during the Provisional Government for regional heads of administration, but it is mostly associated with a number of Cheka and military functions in Bolshevik and Soviet...

 of the German Communist contingent and the XI International Brigade

XI International Brigade

The XI International Brigade fought for the Spanish Second Republic in the Spanish Civil War.It would become especially renowned for providing desperately needed support in the darkest hours of the Republican defense of Madrid on 8 November 1936, when, with great losses, it helped repulse a major...

 in Spain. The medal was presented in the name of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers.

Placement

The medal is displayed on the upper left chest when worn and was positioned between the Medal for the Struggle Against Fascism 1933 to 1945 and the KLARA ZETKIN MEDAL in the order of precedence.

Medal

Obverse
The medal is round, on the front there is a depicting of Hans Beimler surrounded with its name and the dates of his birth and death (1895–1936).
Reverse
On the center of the reverse there is a three-pointed star, the emblem of the International Brigades

International Brigades

The International Brigades were military units made up of volunteers from different countries, who traveled to Spain to defend the Second Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939....

 surrounded with the words "INTERNATIONALE BRIGADEN" (INTERNATIONAL BRIGADES) and "KAMPFER SPANIENS FREIHEIT 1936-1939" (FIGHTERS FOR SPANISH LIBERTY 1936-1939).

Ribbon and Bar

The medal is suspended from rectangular ribbon bar (the ribbon is in full length in the version for army members) of red, yellow, and violet horizontal strips in equal proportion, these were the colors of the Spanish Republican Flag

Flag of Spain

The flag of Spain , as it is defined in the Spanish Constitution of 1978, consists of three horizontal stripes: red, yellow and red, the yellow stripe being twice the size of each red stripe...

. On the outer edges of both sides are narrow vertical strips of black, red, and gold, the colors of the German Flag

Flag of Germany

The flag of Germany is a tricolour consisting of three equal horizontal bands displaying the national colours of Germany: black, red, and gold....

.