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
Prague	1,324,277	496	Prague	“time immemorial”
Brno	381,346	230	South Moravian	1990
Ostrava	287,968	214	Moravian-Silesian	1990
Plzeň	174,842	138	Plzeň	1990
Liberec	104,802	106	Liberec	1990
Olomouc	100,663	103	Olomouc	1990
České Budějovice	94,463	56	South Bohemian	1990
Hradec Králové	92,939	106	Hradec Králové	1990
Ústí nad Labem	92,716	94	Ústí nad Labem	1990
Pardubice	91,727	78	Pardubice	1990
Zlín	74,935	119	Zlín	1990
Havířov	71,200	32	Moravian-Silesian	1990
Kladno	69,337	37	Central Bohemian	2000
Most	66,034	87	Ústí nad Labem	2000
Opava	56,450	91	Moravian-Silesian	1990
Frýdek-Místek	55,557	52	Moravian-Silesian	2006
Karviná	52,128	57	Moravian-Silesian	2003
Jihlava	51,216	79	Vysočina	2000
Teplice	49,731	24	Ústí nad Labem	2003
Chomutov	48,635	29	Ústí nad Labem	2006
Děčín	48,594	118	Ústí nad Labem	2006
Karlovy Vary	48,479	59	Karlovy Vary	1990
Jablonec nad Nisou	45,773	31	Liberec	2012
Mladá Boleslav	44,740	29	Central Bohemian	2003
Prostějov	43,651	39	Olomouc	2012
Přerov	42,871	59	Olomouc	2006
Třinec	35,002	85	Moravian-Silesian	2018

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.