“Karel Schwarzenberg has died. It was clear that it was getting closer. Still, it’s a shock. He was one of the most important and loving people in my life. May his soul rest in peace. The Czech Republic should always be grateful to him for everything he selflessly did for them,” wrote Kalusek, who once co-founded Top 09 with Schwarzenberg.
Echo24.cz, citing a source in Schwarzenberg’s family, wrote that the politician had been in serious condition for two days and was in artificial sleep. The website also said, “He died surrounded by his family.”
Schwarzenberg was taken to a hospital in Vienna a few days ago. “Ask the doctors why they brought me here. I do not know this. I don’t think there are more experts here than in the Czech Republic. I’m guessing it’ll be about the same, but here’s where I’ll be able to see it. I will also be able to see my children and grandchildren,” said Schwarzenberg, who at the time spent a large part of his life in Vienna.
Schwarzenberg was head of Václav Havel’s presidential office after the “Velvet Revolution of 1989”. He later served as a senator and foreign minister. In 2009 he founded TOP 09 with Kalusek and headed the party until 2015. Since then he has been its honorary president. In 2013 he ran for president, but lost to Miloš Zeman in the runoff election.
For years, the scion of the famous noble family was one of the most important figures on the Czech political scene. He is also known for his sharp statements in this country. Schwarzenberg was born on 10 December 1937 in Prague. A symbolic date, as he himself repeatedly stressed, is Human Rights Day. “And so maybe it’s symbolic that I’ve worked in this field for a long time,” he said.
