Karel Schwarzenberg, the former foreign minister and chairman of TOP 09, died at the age of 85 | iRADIO

Karel Schwarzenberg was born in 1937 in Prague and was the successor of the Eagle branch of the noble Schwarzenberg family. After the communist coup in 1948, his entire family left for Austria.

Karel Schwarzenberg. An aristocrat serving the republic died. Listen to the medallion created for his 85th birthday

Schwarzenberg then studied law in Vienna and Graz, as well as forestry in Munich, but did not finish his studies due to the premature death of his father. In the 1980s, he was the chairman of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights.

He returned to his homeland in 1990, then worked until 1992 as chancellor of President Václav Havel. His passion was supporting the restoration of neglected monuments.

“Czechoslovakia does not have the sea or skiing opportunities that Switzerland or Austria have. But it has beautiful monuments. They draw countless tourists here, which we must take advantage of. There were monuments here from Cheb through Prague to eastern Slovakia,” he said.

After the establishment of the independent Czech Republic, Karel Schwarzenberg did not return to the Castle, he devoted himself to business and the management of his property. He was also involved in public life, participating, for example, in the preparation of the Czech-German declaration. In 1997, he joined the Civic Democratic Alliance party.

Karel Schwarzenberg first got involved in high politics in 2004, when he became a senator. He was later a member of parliament and twice foreign minister, specifically in the governments of Mirko Topolánek and Petr Nečas (both ODS).

Chairman of TOP 09

In 2009, Schwarzenberg became the chairman of the newly formed party TOP 09. “It is absolutely clear to us that this is a risk for everyone, because Miroslav Kalousek and I have acquired political capital over the years, which we are betting on a gamble that we do not know how it will turn out, ” he said at the founding. The project succeeded and became an alternative for more conservative right-wing voters.

Karel Schwarzenberg was one of the most popular politicians, which was confirmed in the first ever direct election of the president. He advanced to the second round, in which, however, he was not enough for the victorious Miloš Zeman.

“I hope that he will succeed in being the president of all Czech citizens. 45 percent of Czech citizens supported me with their votes. I have to express my thanks and respect to all the voters who went to the polls in the cold. Thank you very much and see you in better times,” he commented on the results of the presidential election.

Humorous insight, witty glosses and sometimes a sharper vocabulary, Karel Schwarzenberg was also famous for this. For example, when photographers caught him napping in the House of Commons, he commented by saying that “when they talk nonsense, they sleep”.

bko, Jan Hegert

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