Statutory city (Czech Republic)

Prague, Capital of the Czech Republic

Brno

Ostrava

Plzeň

In Czech politics, a statutory city (Czech: statutární město) is a municipal corporation which has been granted city status by Act of Parliament. It is more prestigious than the simple title město ("city" or "town"), which can be awarded by the cabinet and chair of the Chamber of Deputies to a municipality which applies for it. Statutory city status is partially ceremonial; the mayor is called primátor, rather than the starosta of other municipalities. Statutory cities are allowed to subdivide into self-governing boroughs (sg. městský obvod or městská část) with their own elected councils; such a statutory city has to issue a statute (statut) that delimits power to boroughs. As of 2016 only seven of total 25 statutory cities have done so. Also the capital of Prague, while not being de iure statutory city, is subdivided into similar self-governing boroughs.

History

The model, derived from its common origin in Austria-Hungary, was renewed after the fall of communism by the Act on Municipalities in 1990, which established 13 statutory cities in addition to Prague, the capital city which is a de facto statutory city. Unlike Austria, before districts of the Czech Republic were abolished only the three largest cities (Brno, Ostrava and Plzeň) constituted a district okres on their own; the others were a part (though always a capital, except Havířov) of a district with smaller municipalities. As the prestige associated with statutory city status grew, 12 additional statutory cities were created by the Act on Municipalities in 2000^[1] and its three later amendments.

List

Since 2012, there are 25 statutory cities (plus Prague), comprising all Czech cities over 40 thousand inhabitants:

Name	Population[2]	Area (km²)	Region	Statutory city since
Prague (Praha)	1,243,201	496	Prague	"time immemorial"
Brno	377,508	230	South Moravian Region	1990
Ostrava	295,653	214	Moravian-Silesian Region	1990
Plzeň	168,034	138	Plzeň Region	1990
Liberec	102,301	106	Liberec Region	1990
Olomouc	99,489	103	Olomouc Region	1990
Ústí nad Labem	93,523	94	Ústí nad Labem Region	1990
České Budějovice	93,253	56	South Bohemian Region	1990
Hradec Králové	92,904	106	Hradec Králové Region	1990
Pardubice	89,432	78	Pardubice Region	1990
Zlín	75,278	119	Zlín Region	1990
Havířov	76,109	32	Moravian-Silesian Region	1990
Kladno	68,519	37	Central Bohemian Region	2000
Most	67,332	87	Ústí nad Labem Region	2000
Opava	57,931	91	Moravian-Silesian Region	1990
Frýdek-Místek	57,135	52	Moravian-Silesian Region	2006
Karviná	56,848	57	Moravian-Silesian Region	2003
Jihlava	50,510	79	Vysočina Region	2000
Děčín	50,104	118	Ústí nad Labem Region	2006
Teplice	50,024	24	Ústí nad Labem Region	2003
Karlovy Vary	49,864	59	Karlovy Vary Region	1990
Chomutov	49,185	29	Ústí nad Labem Region	2006
Přerov	47,373	59	Olomouc Region	2006
Jablonec nad Nisou	45,453	31	Liberec Region	2012
Mladá Boleslav	44,272	29	Central Bohemian Region	2003
Prostějov	44,234	39	Olomouc Region	2012

References

1. Act on Municipalities (2000); Předpis č. 128/2000 Sb. Zákon o obcích (obecní zřízení) (Czech)
2. Data as of 1 January 2014 from Czech Statistical Office