The Pour le Mérite Order was founded in 1842 by Prussian King Frederick William IV as an association of artists and scholars, with naturalist Alexander von Humboldt as its first chancellor. The order was revived in 1952 by Federal President Theodor Heuss and is now under the patronage of the Federal President.

The order currently has a total of 36 German and 37 foreign members, including 17 Nobel Prize winners. The Minister of State for Culture and Media, Wolfram Weimer, finances the order and is responsible for its organization. Further information is available at www.orden-pourlemerite.de (only available in German).