Developement of administration of the town of Brno in the eyes of historician

Beginnings of modern administration of the town of Brno are connected with the adoption of the Provisional Order for the Royal Capital Town of Brno dating to July 6, 1850 when 27 suburbs merged with Brno. The newly created municipality was divided into four districts governed by the District Councils which were endowed with rather a large scope of independency, in particular, in proprietar matters. Thus the big municipality of Brno created an independent political district subordinated to the Regional Presidium and after 1862 when the Regional presidium was wound up, directly to the Provincial Vice-Regent Authority, The District Councils composed of either 9 or 18 elected members led the district of Brno. Each District Council elected its Board of Chairman and the Deputy of the Board who was the head of the administration. So-called quarter-masters (Viertelmeister) were assistant bodies of the District Councils of the town administratioon who replaced former superiors (village magistrates and sworn authorities) of adjacent cadastral municipalities. However, their importance gradually deteriorated owing to the fact that their competence was being reduced. They secured, in particular, temporary housing facilities, registers of the poor, collections for commonly beneficial purposes etc.

The town as a whole was represented and managed by the Local Committee and the Local Council including the elected Magistrate. The Local Committee was composed of 48 members elected for the period of three years by authorized electors of the whole municipality. However, one third of the elected meembers annually resigned their office and new members were elected on their former place. The Local Committee members elected, apart from the Magistrate, the Magistrate's Deputy and nine councilmen who together created the Local Council.

The year of 1905 was another turning point in the development of the administrative organisation of Brno as a new town statut was issued. The Czech as well as the German citizens exceptionally agreed on a critique of the statut. Not only that the statut deprived the districts of the former Committees which were replaced by the Superior and Deputies appointed by the Local Council, but it also stipulated that the Local Council had taken over the property of the former Committees. The declaration of indepency of the Czechoslovakia of October 28, 1918 came in the middle of the mentioned state of events. The following days were of an essential importance for Brno, too, since a momentous process later concluded by the decla­ration of so-called Great Brno, was began and a new town administration that was in force untill the end of the First Republic, came into existence. The author of this article delivered on an international scientific conference called "Brno - the Town in the Middle of Europe" held from 2nd till 4th December, paied attention just to the stated era of the administrative organisation development of the town of Brno.