List of cities and towns in Croatia
An urbanized area inCroatiacan gain the status ofgrad(which can be translated astownorcityas there is no distinction between the two terms inCroatian) if it meets one of the following requirements:
- is the center of acounty (županija),or
- has more than 10,000 residents, or
- is defined by an exception (where the necessary historical, economic or geographic reasons exist)
A city (town) represents an urban, historical, natural, economic and social whole. The suburbs comprising an economic and social whole with the city, connected with it by daily migration movements and daily needs of the population of local significance, may also be included into the composition of a city as unit of local self-government.[1]
Grad(city/town) is the local administrative equivalent ofopćina(translated as "municipality"), with the only distinction being that the former usually comprise urban areas whereas the latter commonly consist of a group ofvillages.Both municipalities and city/towns often comprise more than one settlement, as the administrative territory of agradmay includesuburbanvillages orhamletsnear the city/town in question.Settlements(naselja) are the third-level spatial units of Croatia,[2][3]and the smallest unit for which the decennial census data are published by theCroatian Bureau of Statisticsbut are not administrative entities, i.e. they are governed by the municipal or city/town council of the local administrative unit they belong to.
Croatian cities are administratively subdivided into "city districts"(gradski kotari/gradske četvrti) and/or "local committees" (mjesni odbori) with elected councils. The City of Zagreb, as the capital, not being part of any county, is subdivided into both city districts and local committees.[4]
- In December 1992 there were 70 cities and towns and 419 municipalities in Croatia organized into 20counties(plus the city of Zagreb which is both a city and a county).[5]
- In 2001 there were 122 cities and towns (excluding Zagreb) and 423 municipalities. This was the territorial division used for the2001 census.[5]
- In 2006 a revision was made, which listed a total of 127 cities and towns and 429 municipalities in Croatia. This division was used for the 2011 census.[6]
- In 2013 the municipality ofPopovačawas upgraded to town, bringing the total to 128 cities and towns and 428 municipalities.[7]
According to theConstitution,the city ofZagreb,as the capital ofCroatia,has a special status. As such, Zagreb performsself-governingpublic affairs of both city and county.[8]
Tasks and organization[edit]
Cities (inEnglishthese would be called "towns" ), within their self-governing scope of activities, perform the tasks of local significance, which directly fulfil the citizens' needs, and which were not assigned to the state bodies by the Constitution or law, particularly the tasks referring to urban design of settlements and dwelling, zoning and urban planning, communal activities, child care, social welfare, primary health care, personality development and primary education, culture, physical culture and sports, consumers protection, protection and improvement of the natural environment, fire and civil defence, local transport.[1]
"Big cities" ( "big city" is a Croatian legal term, in English these would be just "cities" ), i.e. cities with more than 35,000 inhabitants that are also economic, financial, cultural, public health, scientific or traffic centres and cities that are county seats, in addition to these tasks, are also responsible for tasks regarding public roads maintenance and issuing of building and location permits.[1]
City government[edit]
City council(Gradsko vijeće) is the representative body of citizens and the body of local self-government. The councillors are elected for a four-year term on the basis ofuniversal suffrageindirect electionsbysecret ballotusingproportional systemwithd'Hondt method.The executive head of the city is themayor(gradonačelnik), also elected in direct elections bymajoritarian vote(two-round system) for a four-year term (together with one or two deputy mayors).[9]The mayor (with the deputy mayor/s) can be recalled by a referendum. City administrative departments and services manage administrative procedures in their areas of jurisdiction. The mayor names heads (principals) of the departments and services, who are chosen on the basis of a public competition.[1]
List of cities and towns[edit]
The following is a complete list of all officially designated 128 cities/towns in Croatia, sorted by population according to the 2021 population census. At the time of the 2001 census, there had been 123 cities/towns in the country and four former municipalities were administratively upgraded to towns prior to the 2011 census:Vodnjan(in 2003),Kutjevo,Otok,andSveta Nedelja(in 2006). In addition, the table includes data forPopovača,also a former municipality which was re-designated as town in the administrative revision in April 2013.[7]
TheMunicipalcolumn in the table lists total population within the geographical boundary of the local administrative subdivision. This means that the figure often includes other smaller settlements such as villages orhamletslocated on the outskirts or near the city/town proper. In contrast, theTown/City propercolumn lists only population of the city/town proper, without the smaller settlements which administratively belong to the city. Both numbers are given as in some cases the figures may vary dramatically (for exampleVelika Goricawith nearby settlements has a population of around 61,000 but the town proper has only 30,000 residents).
The town ofKaštelais a unique exception in that it only exists as an administrative unit - it is legally treated as anagglomerationof seven separate settlements with populations ranging from 3,000 to 7,000, none of which is actually called "Kaštela". Its town council is located inKaštel Sućurac.
Another set of exceptions arises from the special status of theCity of Zagreb,which is considered both a county and a city, and is further subdivided intocity districts,local committeesandsettlements.Unlike its other districts, the district ofSesvetestill has the status of astandalone settlementwith a population of about 55,000. This would make it a large city in itself, but it does not have the administrative status of a city.[10][11]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Zagreb_%2829255640143%29.jpg/230px-Zagreb_%2829255640143%29.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/Aerial_view_of_Split_in_Croatia_%2848608603871%29.jpg/230px-Aerial_view_of_Split_in_Croatia_%2848608603871%29.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Rijeka_riva_city.png/230px-Rijeka_riva_city.png)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e1/Osijek_%2829263092303%29.jpg/230px-Osijek_%2829263092303%29.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Church_of_Saint_Donatus%2C_Zadar_-_September_2017.jpg/230px-Church_of_Saint_Donatus%2C_Zadar_-_September_2017.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c6/Korso_slavonski_brod.jpg/230px-Korso_slavonski_brod.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Pula_Aerial_View.jpg/230px-Pula_Aerial_View.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/Zorin_dom_Karlovac.jpg/230px-Zorin_dom_Karlovac.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Old_bridge_-_Sisak.jpg/230px-Old_bridge_-_Sisak.jpg)
See also[edit]
- Administrative divisions of Croatia
- Counties of Croatia
- Municipalities of Croatia
- Lists of cities by country
- List of mayors in Croatia
Sources[edit]
- Croatian Parliament(2013-02-18)."Zakon o lokalnoj i područnoj (regionalnoj) samouoravi (pročišćeni tekst)".Narodne novine(in Croatian) (19/2013).Retrieved2016-01-10.
- Croatian Parliament(2012-12-21)."Zakon o lokalnim izborima".Narodne novine(in Croatian) (144/2012).Retrieved2016-04-10.
- "The Constitution of the Republic of Croatia (consolidated text)".Croatian Parliament.Archived fromthe originalon 2015-11-02.Retrieved2016-10-04.
References[edit]
- ^abcd"Zakon o lokalnoj i područnoj (regionalnoj) samoupravi (pročišćeni tekst)"[Local and Regional Self-Government Act (consolidated text)].Narodne novine(in Croatian). No. 19/2013. 18 February 2013.Retrieved5 October2016.
- ^Register of spatial units of the State Geodetic Administration of the Republic of Croatia.WikidataQ119585703.
- ^"Zakon o područjima županija, gradova i općina u Republici Hrvatskoj".Narodne novine(in Croatian).Retrieved2023-10-02.
- ^"Local self - government".City of Zagreb Official Website.RetrievedAugust 25,2020.
- ^ab"Explanation on changes of the territorial constitution of the Republic of Croatia from 1991 to 2001".Census of Population, Households and Dwellings 2001.Zagreb:Croatian Bureau of Statistics.2002.Retrieved13 January2011.
- ^"Notes on Methodology".Census of Population, Households and Dwellings 2011.Zagreb:Croatian Bureau of Statistics.December 2012.Retrieved27 January2014.
- ^ab"Popovača dobila status grada".Poslovni dnevnik(in Croatian). 12 April 2013.Retrieved27 January2014.
- ^The Constitution of the Republic of Croatia (consolidated text) - Croatian ParliamentArchived2015-11-02 at theWayback Machine.Retrieved 5 October 2016.
- ^"Zakon o lokalnim izborima"[Local Elections Act].Narodne novine(in Croatian). No. 144/2012. 21 December 2012.Retrieved1 October2016.
- ^"Population by Age and Sex, by Settlements, 2011 Census: City of Zagreb".Census of Population, Households and Dwellings 2011.Zagreb:Croatian Bureau of Statistics.December 2012.
- ^"Population by Age and Sex, by Districts of City of Zagreb, 2011 Census".Census of Population, Households and Dwellings 2011.Zagreb:Croatian Bureau of Statistics.December 2012.
- ^ab"Results"(xlsx).Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in 2021.Zagreb:Croatian Bureau of Statistics.2022.Retrieved16 January2022.
External links[edit]
- "Census of Population, Households and Dwellings 2011".Census of Population, Households and Dwellings 2011.Zagreb:Croatian Bureau of Statistics.December 2012.
- "Results"(xlsx).Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in 2021.Zagreb:Croatian Bureau of Statistics.2022.
- From theWorld Gazetteer:
- Map of largest cities in Croatiaatarchive.today(archived 2012-12-17)
- Population of cities and towns in Croatiaatarchive.today(archived 2012-12-11)
- Zakon o područjima županija, gradova i općina u Republici Hrvatskoj(in Croatian)