According to Vohralikova, the ceremony of presenting state awards during the holiday on October 28 will correspond to current customs, no major changes are planned in the program. Seven hundred guests are expected to participate in the Vladislav Hall and another two thousand in the Spanish Hall.
“We are trying to build on the past and do not dare to make any changes. We do not want to, because the ceremony is not meant to inspire in any way, but to address the awardees,” said the chancellor.
Two years later, the Presidential Lecturer returns to the stage of the Vladislav Hall, from where Peter Pavel will deliver a speech, and a reading device will be available. “The reading device is very convenient because you can maintain contact with the audience, which is important when you want to convey something good,” Vohralikova points out.
Zeman will not participate
In addition to the awardees and their entourage, guests included representatives of government, chambers of parliament and leaders of local groups and clubs, rectors, diplomatic corps and churches. Dagmar Havlova and Vaclav Klaus and his wife are also missing. Instead, Miloš Zeman apologized. “I’m sorry, because I think former heads of state belong to this ceremony,” Voralikova said.
Due to limited capacity, some guests could not be invited directly to Vladislav Hall with a companion. “However, it is not entirely true that the escort could not come. They can come at the same time and the entourage will watch the ceremony on the screen in the Spanish hall,” Voralikova said.
On Saturday, the Old Royal Palace, The Story of Prague Castle and the Royal Garden exhibition, including the Jiri Sturak exhibition, will be closed for the day. The entire area of Prague Castle will be closed to the public from 3:00 p.m., with the last entrance to the buildings possible at 2:30 p.m., the castle outlined.
The line did not disclose the names of the candidates
The castle did not want to release the specific names of the awardees until after the ceremony. For example, Karel Schwarzenberg, the honorary chairman of TOP 09 and former foreign minister, has already revealed in the newspaper that Bravo should receive the highest honor of the Order of the White Lion.
According to Lidové noviny, singer and guitarist Vladimir Mišík or Roma singer Ida Kelarová or ex-politician and lawyer Petr Pithart could be the next awardees. Zdena Mašínová is also talked about.
Pavel selected sixty from four hundred nominations. “In several rounds, we discussed individual candidates, and Mr. President was always there when he made the final choice,” Voralikova said.
The ceremony will last an hour and a half, after which, as usual, everyone will go to the reception in the Spanish Hall. Up to two thousand guests received invitations.
