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Regions of the Czech Republic

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This article is about current administrative division of the Czech Republic. For the traditional historical division of the country, see Czech lands.

Regions of the Czech Republic
  • Also known as:
  • Kraje České republiky (Czech)
CategoryUnitary state
LocationCzech Republic
Number13 regions + Prague
Populations293,064 (Karlovy Vary Region) – 1,438,364 (Central Bohemian Region)
Areas3,163 km2 (1,221 sq mi) (Liberec Region) – 10,929 km2 (4,220 sq mi) (Central Bohemian Region)
Government
Subdivisions
Politics of the Czech Republic
Constitution
Executive
Parliament
Judiciary
Recent elections
Administrative divisions
Foreign relations

Regions of the Czech Republic (Czech: kraje [ˈkrajɛ]; singular kraj [kraj] ⓘ) are higher-level territorial self-governing units of the Czech Republic.

History

Historical lands and current administrative regions
See also: Administrative divisions of Czechoslovakia

The first regions (kraje) were created in the Kingdom of Bohemia in the 14th century. At the beginning of the 15th century, Bohemia was already divided into 12 regions, but their borders were not fixed due to the frequent changes in the borders of the estates. During the reign of George of Poděbrady (1458–1471), Bohemia was divided into 14 regions, which remained so until 1714, when their number was reduced to 12 again. From 1751 to 1850, after the four largest regions were divided, the kingdom consisted of 16 regions. Between 1850 and 1862, there were several reforms and the number of regions fluctuated between 7 and 13. Due to the parallel establishment of political districts in 1848, however, their importance declined. In 1862, the regions were abolished, although the regional authorities had some powers until 1868.[1]

Moravia was divided into four regions in 1529. In 1569–1735, their number was five, then the number increased to six. After the introduction of the political districts in 1850, Moravia consisted of two regions. In 1855–1860, there were six regions, but in 1860 they were abolished.[1]

Czech Silesia was not divided into regions until 1783, when it was divided into two regions. From 1850, Czech Silesia formed one region.[1]

From the 1860s to 1948, the Czech lands were divided into counties and districts. Regions were reintroduced in 1949 in Czechoslovakia. From 1949 to 1960, the Czech part of Czechoslovakia was divided into the Capital City of Prague and 13 regions.[2] In 1960–1999, the Czech part of Czechoslovakia was divided into the Capital City of Prague and following 7 regions:[3]

  • Central Bohemian Region (Středočeský kraj) with the capital in Prague
  • South Bohemian Region (Jihočeský kraj) with the capital in České Budějovice
  • West Bohemian Region (Západočeský kraj) with the capital in Plzeň
  • North Bohemian Region (Severočeský kraj) with the capital in Ústí nad Labem
  • East Bohemian Region (Východočeský kraj) with the capital in Hradec Králové
  • South Moravian Region (Jihomoravský kraj) with the capital in Brno
  • North Moravian Region (Severomoravský kraj) with the capital in Ostrava

According to the Act no. 129/2000 Coll. ("Law on Regions"), which implements Chapter VII of the Czech Constitution, the Czech Republic is divided into thirteen regions and one capital city with regional status as of 1 January 2000.[4] The capital city of Prague, which has simultaneously the status of a region and a municipality, is treated by Act no. 131/2000 Coll. ("Law on Capital City of Prague").[5]

Competences

Rights and obligations of the regions include:[4]

  • Establishment of secondary schools;
  • Responsibility for hospitals and social facilities;
  • Construction and repair of second and third class roads;
  • Organization of integrated transport systems;
  • Ordering of public intermunicipal transport;
  • Protection of the nature;
  • Cooperation in the distribution of EU funds within the NUTS-2 regions;
  • Tasks within the integrated rescue system;
  • Right to propose laws to the Chamber of Deputies and submit complaints to the Constitutional Court.

Government

Every region is governed by a regional council, headed by a governor (hejtman). Elections to regional councils take place every four years. The number of council members varies according to the population in the region and consists of 45 (population under 600,000), 55 (population 600,000–900,000) or 65 people (population over 900,000).[4]

List of regions

Licence
plate 		Region Capital Population
(2024)[6] 		Area
(km2) 		Pop. density
(per km2) 		GDP
(million CZK, 2022)[7] 		GDP per
capita (2022)[8]
A  Prague 1,384,732 496 2,792 1,926,323 1,453,579
S  Central Bohemian Prague[a] 1,455,940 10,929 133 775,682 557,641
C  South Bohemian České Budějovice 654,505 10,058 65 309,007 480,506
P  Plzeň Plzeň 613,374 7,649 80 326,669 553,512
K  Karlovy Vary Karlovy Vary 295,077 3,310 89 111,015 377,886
U  Ústí nad Labem Ústí nad Labem 811,169 5,339 152 360,731 440,737
L  Liberec Liberec 450,728 3,163 143 202,639 457,749
H  Hradec Králové Hradec Králové 556,949 4,759 117 299,250 543,106
E  Pardubice Pardubice 530,560 4,519 117 268,290 513,222
J  Vysočina Jihlava 517,960 6,796 76 241,562 474,282
B  South Moravian Brno 1,226,749 7,188 171 745,193 624,757
M  Olomouc Olomouc 632,864 5,272 120 317,890 503,709
Z  Zlín Zlín 580,744 3,963 147 304,826 524,888
T  Moravian-Silesian Ostrava 1,189,204 5,427 219 597,665 499,813
CZ  Czech Republic Prague 10,900,555 78,871 138 6,786,742 634,993

Coats of arms

  • Central Bohemian Region
    Central Bohemian Region
  • South Bohemian Region
    South Bohemian Region
  • Plzeň Region
    Plzeň Region
  • Karlovy Vary Region
    Karlovy Vary Region
  • Ústí nad Labem Region
    Ústí nad Labem Region
  • Liberec Region
    Liberec Region
  • Hradec Králové Region
    Hradec Králové Region
  • Pardubice Region
    Pardubice Region
  • Vysočina Region
    Vysočina Region
  • South Moravian Region
    South Moravian Region
  • Olomouc Region
    Olomouc Region
  • Zlín Region
    Zlín Region
  • Moravian-Silesian Region
    Moravian-Silesian Region

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Administrative buildings only. Prague is not considered a part of the region.

References

  1. ^ a b c "100 let proměn hranic našich regionů (Leták ke konferenci a vernisáži výstavy map)" (in Czech). Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic. 2018. pp. 17–18.
  2. ^ "Historie krajského zřízení sahá hluboko do minulosti" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Zákon č. 36/1960 Sb. o územním členění státu". zakonyprolidi.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Zákon č. 129/2000 Sb. o krajích (krajské zřízení)". zakonyprolidi.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  5. ^ "Zákon č. 131/2000 Sb. o hlavním městě Praze". zakonyprolidi.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  6. ^ "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2024". Czech Statistical Office. 17 May 2024.
  7. ^ "Gross Domestic Product: Current prices (CZK mil.)". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  8. ^ "Gross Domestic Product: Per capita (CZK)". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
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