# Star of Peoples' Friendship

The Star of Peoples' Friendship (German: Stern der Völkerfreundschaft), a.k.a. Star of Nations' Friendship, was an order awarded by the German Democratic Republic (GDR).
Established 20 August 1959, it was given to individuals of exceptional merit who had contributed to the "understanding and friendship between nations and preservation of peace".
The Star of Peoples' Friendship was given in three classes:
    1st Class – Grand Star of Peoples' Friendship (German: Großer Stern der Völkerfreundschaft)
    2nd Class – Star of Peoples' Friendship in Gold (German: Stern der Völkerfreundschaft in Gold)
    3rd class – Star of Peoples' Friendship in Silver. (German: Stern der Völkerfreundschaft in Silber)
It was awarded on the recommendation of the presidency of the Council of Ministers (German: Präsidium des Ministerrates) via the chairman of the Council of State (German: Vorsitzender des Staatsrates) or in its name.
The medal was awarded with a certificate.

## Notable recipients

| Name | Year |
| Heinz Abraham | 1986 |
| Pyotr Abrassimov | |
| Alexander Abusch | 1977 |
| Paula Acker | 1988 |
| Theo Adam | 1989 |
| Rudolf Agsten | 1986 |
| Kurt Anclam | 1983 |
| Eva Altmann | 1979 |
| Uwe Ampler | 1988 |
| Friedel Apelt | 1982 |
| Erich Arendt | 1983 |
| Karin Balzer | |
| Walter Bartel | |
| Jutta Behrendt | |
| Walter Beling | |
| Hilde Benjamin | 1982 |
| Fritz Bennewitz | |
| Helene Berg | 1976 |
| Helene Berner | |
| Lothar Berthold | |
| Manfred Bochmann | |
| Frank Bochow | 1987 |
| Lothar Bolz | 1968 |
| Yuri Bondarev | |
| Edgar Bronfman, Sr. | 1988 |
| Werner Bruschke | |
| Hermann Budzislawski | 1976 |
| Sabine Busch | |
| Fidel Castro | 1972 |
| Vasily Chuikov | |
| Auguste Cornu | 1978 |
| Franz Dahlem | 1970 |
| Franz Dahlem | 1977 |
| Mathilde Danegger | |
| Heinrich Dathe | |
| Gerhard Dengler | |
| Heike Drechsler | |
| Friedrich Ebert Jr. | |
| Konstantin Fedin | |
| Peter Florin | 1985 |
| Kerstin Förster | |
| Heike Friedrich | |
| Emil Fuchs | 1969 |
| Heinz Galinski | |
| Hartwig Gauder | |
| Sylvia Gerasch | |
| Hans Gericke | |
| Manfred Gerlach | 1964 |
| Maxi Gnauck | |
| Marlies Göhr | |
| Ernst Goldenbaum | 1969 |
| Harry Goldschmidt | |
| Otto Gotsche | |
| Klaus Gysi | 1987 |
| Emmi Handke | |
| Eberhard Heinrich | 1986 |
| Leonhard Helmschrott | 1975 |
| Hermann Henselmann | |
| Lutz Heßlich | |
| Olaf Heukrodt | |
| Wolfgang Heyl | |
| Wolfgang Hoppe | |
| Carola Hornig | |
| Aleksi Ivanov | 1986 |
| Hans Jendretzky | |
| Sabine John | |
| Wolfgang Junker | 1984 |
| Heinz Kamnitzer | |
| Ekaterina Katukova | |
| Georg Knepler | |
| Marita Koch | |
| Johannes-Ernst Köhler | |
| Erwin Kramer | 1977 |
| Frank Kretschmer | 1987 |
| Sylvio Kroll | |
| Greta Kuckhoff | 1972 |
| Jürgen Kuczynski | 1979 |
| Viktor Kulikov | 1985 |
| Paul Kurzbach | |
| Bernhard Lehmann | |
| Alfred Lemmnitz | 1985 |
| Wolfgang Lesser | |
| Kurt Liebknecht | |
| Pavel Lisitsian | 1988 |
| Christa Luding-Rothenburger | |
| Kurt Maetzig | |
| Nelson Mandela | 1988 |
| Vasily Margelov | 1978 |
| Walter Markov | |
| Hermann Matern | 1967 |
| Gisela May | |
| Hugh McLean | 1990 |
| Else Merke | |
| Karl Mewis | 1977 |
| Sergey Mikhalkov | 1983 |
| Gabriele Mucchi | |
| Helga Mucke-Wittbrodt | |
| Estrongo Nachama | 1988 |
| Heinz Neukirchen | |
| Thomas Nicolaou | |
| Otto Niebergall | |
| Albert Norden | 1974 |
| Albert Norden | 1979 |
| Měrćin Nowak-Njechorński | 1976 |
| Karl Obermann | |
| Oktoberklub | 1986 |
| Harry Ott | |
| Kristin Otto | |
| Yuri Ozerov (director) | |
| Gret Palucca | |
| Andreas Papandreou | 1985 |
| Patriarch Pimen I of Moscow | |
| Hans Pischner | 1979 |
| Lydia Poser | |
| Denis Pritt | 1965 |
| Bernhard Quandt | |
| Eberhard Rebling | |
| Dean Reed | 1985 |
| Rüdiger Reiche | |
| Ludwig Renn | 1979 |
| Trude Richter | |
| Hans Rietz | |
| Ilse Rodenberg | |
| Willy Rumpf | 1978 |
| Alexander Schalck-Golodkowski | 1984 |
| Dietmar Schauerhammer | |
| Hans Schaul | |
| Karl Schirdewan | |
| Eva Schmidt-Kolmer | |
| Heinz Schmidt | |
| Rita Schober | |
| Paul Scholz | 1969 |
| Paul Scholz | 1976 |
| Dmitri Shostakovich | 1972 |
| Peter Schreier | |
| Albert Schreiner | |
| Martina Schröter | |
| Ewald Schuldt | |
| Sylvia Schwabe | |
| Anna Seghers | 1970 |
| Kurt Seibt | 1978 |
| Kurt Seibt | 1983 |
| Max Seydewitz | |
| Eleonore Staimer | |
| Luitpold Steidle | |
| Rudolf Steinwand | |
| Leo Stern (historian) | |
| Petur Tanchev | 1986 |
| Nikolai Tikhonov | |
| Josip Broz Tito | 1966 |
| Roswitha Trexler | 1984 |
| Michael Tschesno-Hell | |
| Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal | |
| Lotte Ulbricht | 1988 |
| Frank Ullrich | |
| Paul Verner | 1986 |
| Paul Wandel | 1970 |
| Walter Weidauer | |
| Helene Weigel | |
| Josef Wenig | |
| Spas Wenkoff | |
| Deba Wieland | |
| Hans-Joachim Willerding | 1989 |
| Otto Winzer | 1975 |