Obec (Czech pronunciation: [ˈobɛts] , plural: obce) is the Czech and Slovak word for a municipality (in the Czech Republic, in Slovakia and abroad). The literal meaning of the word is "commune" or "community". It is the smallest administrative unit that is governed by elected representatives. Cities and towns are also municipalities.
The legal definition (according to the Czech code of law [1] with similar definition in the Slovak code of law [2] ) is: "The municipality is a basic territorial self-governing community of citizens; it forms a territorial unit, which is defined by the boundary of the municipality."
Every municipality is composed of one or more cadastral areas. Every municipality is also composed of one or more administrative parts, usually called town parts or villages. A municipality can have its own flag and coat of arms. [1] [2]
Almost the entire area of the Czech Republic is divided into municipalities, with the only exception being military training areas. The smaller municipalities consist only of one village. A municipality usually has the same name as its most populated settlement, which usually contains the municipal office. However there are several exceptions, for example municipalities created by mergers of formerly separate municipalities (such as Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav or Orlické Podhůří).
A municipality can obtain the title of a city (statutární město), town (město) or market town (městys). While all of these are municipalities from the point of view of the law, they are usually referred to by their titles and not as municipalities. Municipalities without any other status are just called municipalities. Statutory cities can have self-governing subdivisions, so-called city parts or city districts (městská část), which are somewhat similar to municipalities in that they have their own town halls and local government. [1] Town and market town are above all ceremonial labels bestowed on municipalities with notable population, history and regional significance.[ citation needed ]
A special type of municipality is the capital Prague, which has simultaneously the status of a municipality and a region, and which is treated by special law. [3]
The law makes it possible for municipalities which were stripped of town status during the Communist period to retain that status automatically. For any other municipality to gain town status, it must have population over 3,000 and must pass an assessment by the chairman of the parliament. For market town status, population is not a condition. [1] The newest Czech town is Miličín, which obtained the status in 2022. [4]
Some municipalities have extended competencies of delegated state administration for the territory of the municipality and for surrounding municipalities. [5]
| Total | Cities | Towns | Market towns | Other municipalities | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Over 99,999 | 6 | 6 | – | – | – |
| 50,000–99,999 | 12 | 12 | – | – | – |
| 25,000–49,999 | 23 | 9 | 14 | – | – |
| 10,000–24,999 | 88 | – | 88 | – | – |
| 5,000–9,999 | 147 | – | 141 | – | 2 |
| 2,500–4,999 | 280 | – | 179 | 7 | 95 |
| 1,000–2,499 | 927 | – | 128 | 111 | 703 |
| 500–999 | 1,368 | – | 18 | 88 | 1,267 |
| Under 500 | 3,403 | – | 13 | 22 | 3,351 |
| Total | 6,254 | 27 | 581 | 228 | 5,418 |
| Total | Cities | Towns | Market towns | Other municipalities | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | 1,711 | 135,177 | 6,387 | 1,171 | 567 |
| Median | 443 | 65,341 | 4,140 | 1,038 | 373 |
| Minimum | 14 | 34,778 (Třinec) | 73 (Přebuz) | 130 (Levín) | 14 (Vysoká Lhota) |
| Maximum | 1,335,084 | 1,335,084 (Prague) | 37,361 (Česká Lípa) | 3,720 (Nehvizdy) | 5,373 (Petrovice u Karviné) |
| Total | 10,701,777 | 3,649,780 | 3,710,352 | 267,039 | 3,074,606 |
The smallest municipalities by area are Závist (0.42 km2) and Strukov (0.53 km2). [7] The biggest are the cities of Prague (496.21 km2), Brno (230.18 km2) and Ostrava (214.23 km2), and the town of Ralsko (170.23 km2, including a former military area, with only about 2,000 inhabitants). [8]
As of 2020, there are 2,890 municipalities in Slovakia, with 141 of them being a city or a town. [9]
After meeting certain conditions such as population over 5,000, being well accessible, having cultural or economical significance and having an urban style of settlement, a municipality can be declared a town (mesto). [2]
Brno is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic after the capital, Prague, and one of the 100 largest cities of the EU. The Brno metropolitan area has almost 700,000 inhabitants.
This article is about the demographic features of the population of the Czech Republic, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, and religious affiliations.
Harrachov is a town in Jablonec nad Nisou District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic, close to the border with Poland. It has about 1,300 inhabitants. It is known for its ski resort.
Regions of the Czech Republic are higher-level territorial self-governing units of the Czech Republic. Every region is governed by a regional council, headed by a governor (hejtman). Elections to regional councils take place every four years.
Hradec Králové Region is an administrative unit of the Czech Republic located in the north-eastern part of the historical region of Bohemia. It is named after its capital Hradec Králové. The region neighbours the Pardubice Region in the south, the Central Bohemian Region in the south-west, and the Liberec Region in the west. It also shares a 208 km long international border with Polish Lower Silesian Voivodeship in the north and the east.
Uherské Hradiště is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 24,000 inhabitants. The agglomeration with the two neighbouring towns of Staré Město and Kunovice has over 36,000 inhabitants.
Kolín is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 32,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation.
In the Czech Republic, a statutory city is a municipal corporation that 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.
Telč is a town in the Jihlava District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,100 inhabitants. The town is well known for its historic centre, which is protected by law as an urban monument reservation and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Mikulov is a town in Břeclav District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,400 inhabitants. The historic centre of Mikulov is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation.
Hodonín is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 24,000 inhabitants.
Nové Mesto nad Váhom is a town in the Trenčín Region of Slovakia.
Třinec is a city in Frýdek-Místek District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 34,000 inhabitants and is the least populated statutory city in the country.
Březnice is a town in Příbram District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,500 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
Žiar nad Hronom is a city in Banská Bystrica Region, Slovakia.
Napajedla is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,100 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
Velké Bílovice is a town in Břeclav District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,800 inhabitants. It is known for viticulture.
Městys, translated as "market town", is a status conferred on certain municipalities in the Czech Republic, lying in terms of size and importance higher than that of simple obec (municipality), but lower than that of město.
Osoblažsko is a microregion in the Bruntál District in the northernmost part of the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. The microregion is also called Osoblaha Hook or Silesian Hanakia. It is bounded by mountain ridges of Eastern Sudetes from the west and the Polish border from the east and north.
Prague City Hall is the municipal and regional office of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. It is formed by the Chief Executive of Prague City Hall and other employees of the City of Prague included in this body. Prague City Hall performs tasks assigned by Prague City Assembly or Prague City Council, which are democratically elected. As of 2017, it employed 2,091 people and had a budget of 65,193 billion CZK.