Crowds gather as Vclav Havel's coffin is carried through Prague
Body of former Czech leader put on display for three days of national mourning before state funeral
Thousands of Czech citizens have joined Vclav Havel's widow, family members and friends in a procession to pay respects to theircountry's former leader, who died on Sunday.
The casket containing Havel's body was being transported from the Prague Crossroads, a former church turned by Havel into a cultural centre, to the Prague castle, the seat of the presidency, where it will be on display until Friday's state funeral.
Many of those who lined the streets greeted the black car carrying the coffin with applause.
"He's a moral authority for me, an icon," said Jakub Sevcik, 35. "It's my last opportunity to say goodbye at the end."
The French and German presidents, Nicolas Sarkozy and Christian Wulff, and other world leaders are expected to attend the funeral at St Vitus cathedral.
Thousands waited for hours when the coffin carrying Havel's body was put on display on Monday.
Flags at state institutions across the country were lowered to half mast as the government declared three days of national mourning, starting on Wednesday.
An official memorial is planned for Havel on Wednesday at the castle.
Havel's casket was placed on an historic caisson for the final part of the journey and was escorted by an honour guard to the castle, where he spent more than 12 years as president.
Havel's successor and political rival, Vclav Klaus; the prime minister, Petr Neas, and other Czech leaders joined Havel's family, while thousands packed the square in front of the castle and applauded.
The caisson, drawn by six black horses, was the same vessel that in 1937 carried the coffin of Tom Garrigue Masaryk, Czechoslovakia's first president after the country was founded in 1918.
The casket will be on display at the 15th century Vladislav hall until the funeral on Friday.
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