Prague Castle to hand out state awards

A special state awards ceremony is to be held at Prague Castle on Monday evening, in which President Miloš Zeman is set to hand out medals and decorations to more than 60 individuals. Prague Castle spokesman Jiří Ovčáček has announced that the ceremony will also pay tribute to Ukraine, whose flag will be flown during the changing of the guard. Guests will also be asked to contribute to the aid effort for Ukraine.

Normally, the state awards ceremony takes place on October 28 – Czechoslovak Independence Day. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the previous two for years 2020 and 2021 could not take place. The birthday of first Czechoslovak President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk on March 7 was therefore chosen as an alternative date.