Petr Exner

VEXILLOLOGICAL LEXICON

Symbols of the Czech Regions

Some words at the very beginning …

The Czech Republic was established on 1.1.1993 when former Czech and Slovak Federative Republic was divided into Czech and Slovak republics. Constitution of a newly born state has stipulated in its Article 99 (of the Constitutional law of the Czech National Council No: 1/1993 from 16.12.1992) that the Czech Republic consists of the communities forming basic self-governing units of the territorial management. The higher territorial self-governing units are to be set as lands or regions. A long period followed when discussion about form and functions of the said higher territorial self-governing units (hereinafter “HTSGU”) were conducted. In the various politicians´ imaginations, their number oscillated between 77 (contemporary number of existing administrative districts) and two – historical lands of Bohemia and Moravia. The constitutional Higher Territorial Self-Governing Units Foundation Act No: 347/1997 was passed not before 3.12.1997, i.e. with delay of five years. The Parliament of the Czech Republic has decided to establish fourteen HTSGU: The City of Prague, Central Bohemian region, Budějovický region, Plzeňský region, Karlovarský region, Ústecký region, Liberecký region, Královéhradecký region, Pardubický region, Jihlavský region, Brněnský region, Olomoucký region, Ostravský region a Zlínský region. Simultaneously, this law has com-pletely cancelled Article 103 (stating that regional authorities will decide about the name of the HTSGU) and changed the above quoted Article 99 of the Constitution as follows: The Czech Republic con-sists of the communities forming basic self-governing units of the territorial management and regions being the higher territorial self-governing units. This law came in force on 1.1.2000. This law has stipulated that HTSGU will be called as kraj (region) and named according to their administrative centre (except of the Central Bohemian region, centre of which is capital of Prague).