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Preparations are underway for the funeral of Karel Schwarzenberg, a member of the Czech nobility and one of the country’s most prominent post-1989 politicians, who died on Sunday in Vienna at the age of 85.

It is expected that the head of the Schwarzenberg clan will be buried with state honours. The Office of the Czech Government has confirmed that it is in contact with the family of Karel Schwarzenberg and has said that everything depends on their decision.

According to Novinky.cz there is likely to be a funeral mass at St. Vitus Cathedral followed by a private funeral for family and friends at Orlík nad Vltavou Castle. The news site says it is likely that Karel Schwarzenberg’s remains will be placed to rest in the family tomb in the castle park, in accordance with his wishes.

The Confederation of Czech and Moravian Trade Unions is organizing an anti-government protest march in Prague on November 27, the CTK news agency reported. Thousands of people from around the country are expected to join the protest against the government’s austerity package which is expected to hit both companies and individuals, the pension reform and the upcoming hike in energy costs. Teachers’ unions have also called a nation-wide strike that day in protest of the government’s failure to increase the wages of non-teaching staff.

Czechia is the sick man in Europe, the German newspaper Die Welt wrote at the weekend, saying that the Czech Republic is the only EU country that has not yet recovered from the pandemic slump. The country's economic model has aged, with economists warning of a growth trap, Die Welt reported on Saturday. Experts predict weak growth for next year as well. The paper says the country’s failure to recover after the pandemic can be explained by a number of factors: Czech companies are not particularly energy-efficient in their production and were therefore hit hard by the energy crisis after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Czech central bank raised interest rates very early on, deliberately slowing down the economy in order to combat inflation, which is extremely high by European standards. And unlike other European countries, including those in central and eastern Europe, the government has also been very cautious with regard to crown and energy aid, Die Welt says.

Czechs have been paying tribute to Karel Schwarzenberg, one of the country’s most prominent politicians of the post-communist era, who died in Vienna on Saturday at the age of 85.

Dozens of people gathered outside his house in Prague on Sunday evening to light candles and lay flowers in his memory.

Among those present were Prague deputy mayor and Schwarzenberg’s party colleague Jiří Pospíšil, who described Karel Schwarzenberg as the second greatest personality in the country’s modern history next to Václav Havel.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will have condolence books for people to sign in memory of for the former foreign minister. They will be available in the reception area between 2pm and 4pm on Monday and between 10am and 12 am and 2pm and 4pm on Tuesday.

The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Marketa Pekarová Adamová said Tuesday’s session of the lower house would start with a minute of silence in honour of the late politician.