Obec (Czech:[ˈobɛts],Slovak:[ˈɔbets]; pluralobce) is theCzech andSlovak word for amunicipality (in theCzech Republic, inSlovakia 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 Czechcode 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 morecadastral areas. Every municipality is also composed of one or more municipal parts (Czech:části obce), which are usually town quarters 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 beingmilitary 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 asBrandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav orOrlické Podhůří).
A municipality can obtain the title of acity (statutární město),town (město) ormarket 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.[3]
A special type of municipality is the capitalPrague, which has simultaneously the status of a municipality and aregion, and which is treated by special law.[4]
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 isChýně, which obtained the status in 2023.[5]
Some municipalities haveextended competencies ofdelegated state administration for the territory of the municipality and for surrounding municipalities.[6]
| Total | Cities | Towns | Market towns | Other municipalities | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Over 99,999 | 6 | 6 | – | – | – |
| 50,000–99,999 | 12 | 12 | – | – | – |
| 25,000–49,999 | 21 | 9 | 12 | – | – |
| 10,000–24,999 | 93 | – | 93 | – | – |
| 5,000–9,999 | 145 | – | 141 | – | 4 |
| 2,500–4,999 | 284 | – | 179 | 9 | 96 |
| 1,000–2,499 | 974 | – | 128 | 112 | 734 |
| 500–999 | 1,378 | – | 17 | 88 | 1,273 |
| Under 500 | 3,341 | – | 13 | 23 | 3,305 |
| Total | 6,254 | 27 | 583 | 232 | 5,412 |
| Total | Cities | Towns | Market towns | Other municipalities | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | 1,744 | 138,934 | 6,403 | 1,190 | 582 |
| Median | 453 | 63,474 | 4,156 | 1,049 | 385 |
| Minimum | 16 | 33,852 (Třinec) | 70 (Přebuz) | 159 (Levín) | 16 (Vysoká Lhota) |
| Maximum | 1,397,880 | 1,397,880 (Prague) | 36,815 (Česká Lípa) | 4,404 (Nehvizdy) | 5,496 (Horoměřice) |
| Total | 10,909,500 | 3,751,223 | 3,732,986 | 275,998 | 3,149,293 |
The smallest municipalities by area areZávist (0.42 km2) andStrukov (0.53 km2).[8] The biggest are the cities ofPrague (496.21 km2),Brno (230.18 km2) andOstrava (214.23 km2), and the town ofRalsko (170.23 km2, including a former military area, with only about 2,000 inhabitants).[9]
As of 2020, there are2,890 municipalities in Slovakia, with 141 of thembeing a city or a town.[10]
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]