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Amunicipiu (fromLatinmunicipium; English:municipality) is a level of administrative subdivision inRomania andMoldova, roughly equivalent tocity in someEnglish-speaking countries.[1][2]
In Romania, this status is given to towns that are large and urbanized; at present, there are 103municipii.[3] There is no clear benchmark regarding the status ofmunicipiu even though it applies to localities which have a sizeable population, usually above 40,000, and extensive urban infrastructure.[2] Localities that do not meet these loose guidelines are classified only as towns (orașe), or if they are not urban areas, ascommunes (comune). Cities are governed by a mayor and local council. There are no official administrative subdivisions of cities even though, unofficially, municipalities may be divided into quarters/districts (cartiere inRomanian). The exception to this isBucharest, which has a status similar to that of a county, and is officially subdivided into six administrativesectors.
In Moldova, which has thirteenmunicipii, a 2002 law provides that the status applies to the cities that play an important role in the country's economic, social, cultural, scientific, political and administrative life.[1]
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† lost status in 1938
Of the seventeenmunicipii created in 1925, three are no longer in Romania:Cernăuți,Cetatea Albă, andChișinău. Additionally,Bălți became one in 1929; together with Cetatea Albă, it lost the title in 1938.Cluj andOradea temporarily lost the title in 1940 as a result of theSecond Vienna Award, while it was granted toOdessa andTiraspol during theTransnistria Governorate period. The status was not used between 1950 and 1968, so that cities which lost it in 1950 were reassigned it in 1968. The most recentmunicipii were created in 2003.
| Cities | Year granted status |
|---|---|
| Bălți | 1995 |
| Cahul | 1998/2016 |
| Ceadîr-Lunga | 2016 |
| Chișinău | 1995 |
| Comrat | 1998 |
| Edineț | 1998/2016 |
| Hîncești | 1998/2016 |
| Orhei | 1998/2016 |
| Soroca | 1998/2016 |
| Strășeni | 2016 |
| Ungheni | 1998/2016 |
| Tighina | 1995 |
| Tiraspol | 1995 |
Chișinău, Tiraspol, Bălți, and Bender/Tighina have beenmunicipii continuously since 1995, and Comrat since 1998. Cahul, Edineț, Hîncești, Orhei, Soroca, and Ungheni held the status from 1998 to 2002, and regained it in 2016. Additionally,Căușeni,Taraclia,Dubăsari, andRîbnița held the status from 1998 to 2002.
