Hamburg, 23.11.15: Some 1,800 invited guests made their way to Hamburg's St. Michael's Church to pay their last respects to former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt.
They included Chancellor Angela Merkel and numerous current and former leading politicians from inside and outside Germany.
Helmut Schmidt died on 10 November in his native city of Hamburg. He was Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1974 to 1982.
One of the few speakers was former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, a longstanding personal friend of Helmut Schmidt.
In her address, Chancellor Angela Merkel praised Helmut Schmidt as an "authority" who has left an indelible mark.
A last bow before the coffin is carried out of the church
Behind the coffin, the closest family members of the former Chancellor are accompanied out of the church.
The funeral guests pay their last respects to the former Chancellor in front of Hamburg's St. Michael's Church.
A military tribute before the coffin bearing Helmut Schmidt is driven, with a police escort, through the streets of Hamburg to Ohlsdorf Cemetery.