Product Description: A superb and beautifully preserved Original 1936 Olympic Cross, 2nd Class (Olympia Ehrenzeichen 2. Klasse), instituted on February 4, 1936, and awarded to German nationals and select foreign personnel for distinguished service in the organization and execution of the XI Summer Olympic Games in Berlin and the IV Winter Olympic Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Expertly constructed in two die-struck tombak components, this striking decoration is richly fire-gilded in gold and adorned with fine white enamel work, still protected by its original lacquer finish. The obverse displays the iconic five Olympic rings in white enamel above a five-pointed white star and five gold-lined bars, all surmounted by the German National eagle with outstretched wings clutching a wreathed mobile swastika. Extremely fine presentation remains exceptionally clean, crisp, and highly attractive.

The reverse retains a full, luminous gold finish and clearly shows the two securing rivets for the Olympic rings. A suspension ring passes cleanly through the eagle’s head and supports approximately three inches of correct red, white, and black rayon ribbon, well preserved with bright original color and minimal handling wear.

The badge measures approximately 2 1/8 inches in width by 2 3/4 inches in height. Of the Second Class, only 3,364 examples were awarded, underscoring the decoration’s historical importance and relative scarcity among Third Reich civil honors.

Overall, this is an outstanding, highly displayable example of the historically significant 1936 German Olympic Decoration, remaining in excellent++ to near-mint condition with beautiful surfaces, full original detail, and strong visual presence precisely the level of preservation sought by advanced collectors and institutions alike.

Historical Description: The German Olympic Decoration (Deutsches Olympia-Ehrenzeichen) was instituted by the German government in advance of the 1936 Olympic Games, held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen for the IV Winter Games and Berlin for the Games of the XI Olympiad. Unlike athletic awards bestowed upon competitors, this civil decoration was created to honor the vast administrative, organizational, and logistical efforts that occurred behind the scenes. Recipients included German nationals and select foreign dignitaries whose service contributed materially to the successful planning, security, presentation, and international staging of the Olympic events.

Notable figures awarded the decoration included senior SS officials such as Reinhard Heydrich, Karl Wolff, and Heinrich Himmler for their roles in security operations, while Hermann Fegelein received recognition for overseeing equestrian course preparation. The filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl was likewise decorated for her influential cinematic documentation of the Games, and the 2nd Class award was presented to Hiroshi Ōshima, the Japanese ambassador to Germany, reflecting the decoration’s occasional extension beyond German recipients.

The decoration was issued in three distinct classes. The First Class, awarded as an impressive neck order, was conferred only 767 times, underscoring its exclusivity. The more widely distributed Second Class, totaling 3,364 awards, recognized significant though comparatively lesser contributions to Olympic organization. Complementing these was the German Olympic Commemorative Medal, established to acknowledge broader service connected with preparation and execution of the Games and not restricted by nationality. All classes were authorized for miniature wear on ribbon bars.

Following the Second World War, the display of National Socialist symbols became prohibited under modern German law. In 1957, the Federal Republic of Germany authorized officially sanctioned de-nazified replacement versions, allowing recipients to continue wearing the decoration in an altered, legally compliant form. Today, surviving original examples stand as historically important artifacts connected to one of the most politically charged and visually orchestrated Olympic Games of the twentieth century.

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