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People walk past a graffiti portraying former Czech President Vaclav Havel in Prague yesterday |
World leaders are to pay homage to Velvet Revolution icon and former Czech president Vaclav Havel at his state funeral in Prague’s historic St. Vitus Cathedral on Friday.
Heads of state or government from France, Germany, Israel and Austria are expected to attend, as well as leaders from across eastern Europe, including Georgia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Lithuania.
Czech officials and media also expected US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her husband, former president Bill Clinton, at the ceremony at noon on Friday, which will be telecast across the nation.
A dissident playwright, Havel led the nation through the bloodless 1989 Velvet Revolution that toppled Soviet-backed communism in then Czechoslovakia.
Havel—who went on to serve as president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 to 1992 and subsequently the Czech Republic from 1993 to 2003 - died on Sunday aged 75 following a protracted illness.
The one-time chain smoker, who had part of his lung removed due to cancer in 1996, had suffered pneumonia three times this year, his doctor revealed.
After the last case in November, “it was only his will that kept him alive,” physician Tomas Bouzek told the Czech daily DNES.
“On Saturday evening, he felt he was in better shape and that his weariness was receding. He slept peacefully and on Sunday he had breakfast, saying he would take a nap afterwards. He never woke up,” Bouzek added.
Flags flew at half mast across the Czech Republic ahead of three days of national mourning from Wednesday to Friday, the day of Havel’s funeral in St Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle, the seat of Czech presidents.
Czech lawmakers met to honour Havel yesterday, while the government of neighbouring Slovakia has declared Friday a day of national mourning.
Long lines of mourners formed outside the Prague Crossroads—a spiritual centre created by Havel in a disused church—for a second day to pay tribute at his coffin, while hundreds signed condolence books at Prague Castle.
On Wednesday at 8:00 am (0700 GMT), a solemn “ceremonial march following Vaclav Havel’s coffin will leave the Prague Crossroads for the Prague Castle,” Havel’s secretary Sabina Tancevova said on www.vaclavhavel.cz.
“Wife Dagmar and the Vaclav Havel office cordially invite all citizens to take part,” she added.
After arriving at Prague Castle, the coffin will be placed on a horse-drawn gun carriage that was also used for the funeral of the first Czechoslovak president, Tomas Garrigue Masaryk, in 1937.
Six horses will take the coffin to the castle’s grand Vladislav Hall, where it will be on display for two days, before being taken to St Vitus Cathedral for Friday’s memorial service and a requiem mass.
Havel’s body will be cremated in accordance with his family’s wishes. Wednesday’s ceremonial march and the funeral Friday will be broadcast on large screens in Prague Castle courtyards and in cities across the country.
Theatres and concert halls have cancelled scores of performances scheduled for the mourning days, while local authorities have started to ponder renaming streets in Havel’s honour. As a special tribute to Havel, film director Fero Fenic has launched an initiative to rename the Prague airport as Vaclav Havel Airport.
Among dignitaries who have confirmed their presence at the funeral are German President Christian Wulff, Austrian President Heinz Fischer, Slovenian President Danilo Turk, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic and Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite.
The office of French President Nicolas Sarkozy confirmed on Twitter he would attend, and Czech officials and media also expected Israeli President Shimon Peres for the ceremony.
The office of President Vaclav Klaus said the guest list would be completed by today afternoon.