Slavic title for an official or unofficial position of leadership
Starosta
[1]
or
starost
(
Cyrillic
:
старост/а
,
Latin
:
capitaneus
, German:
Starost, Hauptmann
) is a community
elder
in some Slavic lands.
The
Slavic
root of "starost" translates as "senior". Since the
Middle Ages
, it has designated an official in a leadership position in a range of civic and social contexts throughout
Central
and
Eastern Europe
. In reference to a municipality, a
starosta
was historically a senior royal administrative official, equivalent to a
county sheriff
or
seneschal
, and analogous to a
gubernator
. In
Poland
, a
starosta
administered
crown
territory or a district called a
starostwo
.
[2]
In the early Middle Ages, a
starosta
could head a settled urban or rural community or other community, as in the case of a church starosta or an
artel
starosta. A starosta also functioned as a
master of ceremonies
.
[
citation needed
]
Czech Republic and Slovakia
[
edit
]
In the
Czech Republic
and
Slovakia
starosta
is the title of a
mayor
of a town or village. Mayors of major cities use the title
primator
. The term corresponds to the Austrian or German
Burgermeister
.
[
citation needed
]
Holy Roman Empire
[
edit
]
Historically, the title "Starost" was also used in parts of the
Holy Roman Empire
. The German word
Starostei
referred to the office or crown land district of a Starost. In German, the title starost/starosta is also translated as
Hauptmann
and analogous to a gubernator.
[
citation needed
]
Poland
[
edit
]
Kingdom of Poland
[
edit
]
In the
Kingdom of Poland
and the
Polish?Lithuanian Commonwealth
, the Starosta was from the 15th century the office of a territorial administrator, usually conferred on a local landowner and member of the nobility,
Szlachta
. Until the
Third Partition of Poland
in 1795, there were two types of Starosta:
- Castle
Starosta, (formerly
Castellan
or
capitaneus cum iurisdictione
),
Starosta grodowy
as local representative of the king, would supervise fiscal, judicial administration and matters of crime in a district, termed
starostwo
, and
- Land-Starosta,
Starosta niegrodowy
,
capitaneus sine iurisdictione
, whose role (they were invariably male) was as overseer of crown land tenants and of the
land tenure
(see
tenant-in-chief
) without any real obligations. The absence of an
Interdict
against the accumulation of thus administered districts resulted in some nobles becoming immensely rich and earning the
sobriquet
,
magnates
.
There were also
general starosts
who were provincial governors.
[3]
All starosts disappeared after the
Kosciuszko Insurrection
in 1794 and were not reinstated until after
World War I
when their role was altered.
Contemporary
[
edit
]
In contemporary
Poland
,
starosta
designates a district administrator, who heads the district administration
starostwo
and manages a
powiat
district, akin to the leader of a town or rural council.
[4]
Ukraine
[
edit
]
Revolutionary period
[
edit
]
In the
Ukrainian State
during 1918,
gubernatorial
and
povitian
starostas controlled who represented the central government in regions.
[2]
Contemporary
[
edit
]
In 2014?2015,
administrative and territorial reform
began in
Ukraine
, during which adjacent territorial communities began to unite into larger
amalgamated territorial hromadas
. In order for the interests of residents of all villages, towns and cities in united territorial communities to be properly represented, the law "On Voluntary Unification of Territorial Communities" adopted on February 5, 2015, introduced the institute of starosta, who were to be elected by residents of the respective settlements and represent their interests in the executive bodies of the council of the amalgamated territorial hromada.
[5]
[6]
The mayor, in particular, is a member of the executive committee of the amalgamated territorial hromada council ex officio, he must help the residents of his settlements with the preparation of submitting documents to local self-government bodies, participate in the preparation of the amalgamated territorial hromada budget in the part that concerns his settlements, and also perform other duties specified in Regulations on the starosta, which were approved by the council of the amalgamated territorial hromada.
[6]
In particular, the council of the amalgamated territorial hromada could authorize the starosta to perform notarial acts on his own, or to transfer relevant documents from residents to the executive body of the council and back.
[7]
By the decree of the Cabinet of Ministers dated July 22, 2016, the starosta was assigned to the fifth category of positions in local self-government bodies, and later by the law dated February 9, 2017 to the sixth category. This made it possible to streamline the structure and terms of payment for the newly elected starostas.
[8]
[9]
On February 9, 2017, a law was adopted that more clearly defined the status and powers of the starosta. Also, this law introduced the concept of
starosta okruhs
(
elderships
)―the territory on which the starost is elected and over which his powers extend. The starosta okruhs were to be formed by the amalgamated territorial hromada council and could consist of several settlements, in addition to the administrative center of the amalgamated territorial hromada.
[10]
[11]
[12]
It was also fixed for the starostas the right to a guaranteed speech at the meetings of the amalgamated territorial hromada council and its standing commissions on issues related to their starosta okruh, as well as added control functions over the use of communal property objects and the state of improvement in their okruh.
[12]
[13]
According to the monitoring of the
Ministry of Communities and Territories Development
regarding the implementation of the reform of local self-government and territorial organization of power in Ukraine, as of October 1, 2023, only 7,567 starostas were approved by the local council, while 7,567 starosta okruhs were allocated as part of territorial communities throughout Ukraine.
[14]
Other countries
[
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]
See also
[
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]
References
[
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]