Czechs mark foundation of Czechoslovakia

Czechs marked the 86th anniversary of the foundation of Czechoslovakia on Thursday with several events around the country. Although Czechoslovakia split into two separate states - the Czech Republic and Slovakia - on January 1st 1993, the national holiday continues to be celebrated every year in the Czech Republic but is no longer marked in neighbouring Slovakia.

Czech President Vaclav Klaus said October 28th was a very significant holiday as it was a day that the nation's ancestors had anticipated for an entire century. Mr Klaus placed a wreath at the statue of Tomas Garrigue Masaryk, the founder and first president of Czechoslovakia, at Prague Castle, and visited his grave in nearby Lany. As has become tradition, the Czech President also received foreign diplomats.