Mathilda Nostitz, Czech countess and philanthropist, dies aged 85

Countess Mathilda Nostitz, heiress of the Czech noble Nostic family, has died at the age of 85, the Mathilda Endowment Fund, which she founded, announced on Wednesday.

Mathilda Nostitz was born at the chateau in Planá near Mariánské Lázně. Although her ancestors declared their Czech nationality, after the Communists came to power, the family left Czechoslovakia in June 1948, when she was 12.

After returning to her homeland in 1990, she devoted herself to helping the visually impaired, in part through training guide dogs and supporting young blind musicians.