Statutory city (Czech Republic)

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 ("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 then 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.

Prague, Capital of the Czech Republic
Brno
Hradec Králové
Ostrava
Plzeň

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 four later amendments.

There are only two statutory cities, Havířov and Třinec, that are not seats of their eponymous districts.

List

Since August 2018, there are 26 statutory cities (plus Prague), comprising all Czech cities over 40 thousand inhabitants (and Třinec):

Name Population[2] Area (km²) Region Statutory city since
Prague1,324,277496Prague“time immemorial”
Brno381,346230South Moravian1990
Ostrava287,968214Moravian-Silesian1990
Plzeň174,842138Plzeň1990
Liberec104,802106Liberec1990
Olomouc100,663103Olomouc1990
České Budějovice94,46356South Bohemian1990
Hradec Králové92,939106Hradec Králové1990
Ústí nad Labem92,71694Ústí nad Labem1990
Pardubice91,72778Pardubice1990
Zlín74,935119Zlín1990
Havířov71,20032Moravian-Silesian1990
Kladno69,33737Central Bohemian2000
Most66,03487Ústí nad Labem2000
Opava56,45091Moravian-Silesian1990
Frýdek-Místek55,55752Moravian-Silesian2006
Karviná52,12857Moravian-Silesian2003
Jihlava51,21679Vysočina2000
Teplice49,73124Ústí nad Labem2003
Chomutov48,63529Ústí nad Labem2006
Děčín48,594118Ústí nad Labem2006
Karlovy Vary48,47959Karlovy Vary1990
Jablonec nad Nisou45,77331Liberec2012
Mladá Boleslav44,74029Central Bohemian2003
Prostějov43,65139Olomouc2012
Přerov42,87159Olomouc2006
Třinec35,00285Moravian-Silesian2018

References
  1. Act on Municipalities (2000); Předpis č. 128/2000 Sb. Zákon o obcích (obecní zřízení) (in Czech)
  2. "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2020". Czech Statistical Office. 2020-04-30.
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