Municipiu

A municipiu (from Latin municipium; English: municipality) is a level of administrative subdivision in Romania and Moldova, roughly equivalent to city in some English-speaking countries.

In Romania, this status is given to towns that are quite large and urbanized; at present, there are 103 municipii. There is no clear benchmark regarding the status of municipiu even though it applies to localities which have a sizeable population, usually above 15,000, and extensive urban infrastructure. Localities that do not meet these loose guidelines are classified only as towns (orașe), or if they are not urban areas, as communes (comune). Cities are governed by a mayor and local council. There are no official administrative subdivisions of cities even though, unofficially, municipalities may be divided into quarters/districts (cartiere in Romanian). The exception to this is Bucharest, which has a status similar to that of a county, and is officially subdivided into six administrative sectors.

In Moldova, which has thirteen municipii, a 2002 law provides that the status applies of cities that play an important role in the country's economic, social, cultural, scientific, political and administrative life.

Complete list

Romania

County	Common Abbrev	Cities	Year granted status
Alba	AB	Alba Iulia Aiud Blaj Sebeș	1938/1968 1994 1993 2000
Arad	AR	Arad	1925/1968
Argeș	AG	Pitești Câmpulung Curtea de Argeș	1968 1994 1995
Bacău	BC	Bacău Onești Moinești	1929†/1968 1968 2001
Bihor	BH	Oradea Beiuș Marghita Salonta	1925/1968 2003 2003 2001
Bistrița-Năsăud	BN	Bistrița	1979
Botoșani	BT	Botoșani Dorohoi	1968 1994
Brașov	BV	Brașov Făgăraș Codlea Săcele	1925/1968 1979 2000 2000
Brăila	BR	Brăila	1925/1968
Buzău	BZ	Buzău Râmnicu Sărat	1968 1994
Caraș-Severin	CS	Reșița Caransebeș	1968 1995
Călărași	CL	Călărași Oltenița	1968 1997
Cluj	CJ	Cluj-Napoca Turda Dej Câmpia Turzii Gherla	1925/1968 1968 1968 1998 2000
Constanța	CT	Constanța Mangalia Medgidia	1925/1968 1995 1994
Covasna	CV	Sfântu Gheorghe Târgu Secuiesc	1979 2000
Dâmbovița	DB	Târgoviște Moreni	1968 2003
Dolj	DJ	Craiova Băilești Calafat	1925/1968 2001 1997
Galați	GL	Galați Tecuci	1925/1968 1968
Giurgiu	GR	Giurgiu	1933†/1968
Gorj	GJ	Târgu Jiu Motru	1968 2000
Harghita	HR	Miercurea Ciuc Gheorgheni Odorheiu Secuiesc Toplița	1979 2003 1968 2002
Hunedoara	HD	Deva Hunedoara Brad Lupeni Orăștie Petroșani Vulcan	1968 1968 1995 2003 1995 1968 2003
Ialomița	IL	Slobozia Fetești Urziceni	1979 1995 1995
Iași	IS	Iași Pașcani	1925/1968 1995
Ilfov	IF	none
Maramureș	MM	Baia Mare Sighetu Marmației	1968 1968
Mehedinți	MH	Drobeta-Turnu Severin Orșova	1933†/1968 2000
Mureș	MS	Târgu Mureș Sighișoara Reghin Târnăveni	1925†/1968 1968 1994 1998
Neamț	NT	Piatra Neamț Roman	1968 1968
Olt	OT	Slatina Caracal	1979 1994
Prahova	PH	Ploiești Câmpina	1925/1968 1994
Satu Mare	SM	Satu Mare Carei	1929†/1968 1995
Sălaj	SJ	Zalău	1979
Sibiu	SB	Sibiu Mediaș	1925/1968 1968
Suceava	SV	Suceava Fălticeni Rădăuți Câmpulung Moldovenesc Vatra Dornei	1968 1994 1994 1995 2000
Teleorman	TR	Alexandria Roșiorii de Vede Turnu Măgurele	1979 1995 1968
Timiș	TM	Timișoara Lugoj	1925/1968 1934†/1968
Tulcea	TL	Tulcea	1968
Vaslui	VS	Vaslui Bârlad Huși	1979 1968 1995
Vâlcea	VL	Râmnicu Vâlcea Drăgășani	1968 1995
Vrancea	VN	Focșani Adjud	1934†/1968 2000
Bucharest	B	Bucharest	1925/1968

† lost status in 1938

Of the seventeen municipii created in 1925, three are no longer in Romania: Cernăuți, Cetatea Albă, and Chișinău. Additionally, Bălți became one in 1929; together with Cetatea Albă, it lost the title in 1938. Cluj and Oradea temporarily lost the title in 1940 as a result of the Second Vienna Award, while it was granted to Odessa and Tiraspol during the Transnistria Governorate period. The status was not used between 1950 and 1968, so that cities which lost it in 1950 were reassigned it in 1968. The most recent municipii were created in 2003.

Moldova

Cities	Year granted status
Bălți	1995
Cahul	1998/2016
Ceadîr-Lunga	2016
Chișinău	1995
Comrat	1998
Edineț	1998/2016
Hîncești	1998/2016
Orhei	1998/2016
Soroca	1998/2016
Strășeni	2016
Ungheni	1998/2016
Bender	1995
Tiraspol	1995

Chișinău, Tiraspol, Bălți and Bender have been municipii continuously since 1995, and Comrat since 1998. Cahul, Edineț, Hîncești, Orhei, Soroca and Ungheni held the status from 1998 to 2002, and regained it in 2016. Additionally, Căușeni, Taraclia, Dubăsari, and Rîbnița held the status from 1998 to 2002.

References