{{Short description|Slavic title for an official or unofficial position of leadership}} {{For|the surname|Starosta (surname)}} {{Imperial, royal, noble and chivalric ranks}} '''Starosta''' {{IPAc-en|"|s|t|a:r|Q|s|t|@}}<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Chambers Dictionary|publisher=Chambers|year=2003|isbn=0-550-10105-5|edition=9th|chapter=starosta}}</ref> or '''starost''' (Cyrillic: ''старост/а'', Latin: ''capitaneus'', {{langx|de|link=no|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 a crown land district called ''starostwo''.<ref name=":1">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Starosta |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Ukraine |url=https://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CS%5CT%5CStarosta.htm}}</ref>
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|date=August 2021}}
==Czech Republic and Slovakia== 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 ''primátor''. The term corresponds to the Austrian or German Bürgermeister.{{cn|date=November 2023}}
==Holy Roman Empire== 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.{{cn|date=November 2023}}
==Poland== ===Kingdom of Poland=== 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 a local representative of the king, would supervise fiscal and judicial administration as well as matters of crime in a district, termed ''powiat''; and *Land-Starosta, ''Starosta niegrodowy'', ''capitaneus sine iurisdictione'', as an overseer of crown land tenants and land tenure (see tenant-in-chief), had no real obligations. The absence of an Interdict against the accumulation of thus administered districts, called ''starostwa'', resulted in some nobles becoming immensely rich and earning the sobriquet ''magnates''.
There were also ''general starosts'' who were provincial governors.<ref>{{cite book|publisher = Biblioteka Cyfrowa UJK|url = http://dlibra.ujk.edu.pl|title = STAROSTOWIE ICH POCZĄTKI I ROZWÓJ W XIV W.|author = Stanisław Kutrzeba|date = 1903|language = pl}} </ref> All starosts disappeared after the Kosciuszko Insurrection in 1794 and were not reinstated until after World War I when their role was altered.
===Contemporary=== 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.<ref>{{Cite book|edition=|title=Słownik pojęć w administracji publicznej|publisher=Wydawnictwo Narodowego Instytutu Samorządu Terytorialnego|date=2018|location=Łódź|isbn=978-83-947833-4-1|editor-first=Iwona M.|editor-last=Wieczorek|editor2-first=Jarosław|editor2-last=Szymanek|pages=202–204|language=pl|url=https://www.nist.gov.pl/files/zalacznik/1548341631_slownik_poj%C4%99%C4%87.pdf}}</ref>
== Ukraine ==
=== Revolutionary period === In the Ukrainian State during 1918, gubernatorial and povitian starostas controlled who represented the central government in regions.<ref name=":1" />
=== Contemporary === In 2014–2015, administrative and territorial reform began in Ukraine, during which adjacent territorial ''hromadas'' 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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Starostas|url=https://decentralization.gov.ua/starosta|website=decentralization.gov.ua|accessdate=2022-06-18|last=}}</ref><ref name=":2">[https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/157-19#n85 прикінцеві положення] закону від 5 лютого 2015 року «Про добровільне об'єднання територіальних громад»</ref>
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.<ref name=":2" /> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ради об'єднаних громад самостійно вирішують організаційні питання щодо вчинення нотаріальних дій на своїй території|url=https://decentralization.gov.ua/admin/articles/1757.html|website=decentralization.gov.ua|accessdate=2021-04-18}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Старосту віднесли до п'ятої категорії посад в органах місцевого самоврядування|url=https://decentralization.gov.ua/admin/articles/2935.html|website=decentralization.gov.ua|accessdate=2021-04-18|date=2016-07-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Посада старости відноситься до шостої категорії посад органів місцевого самоврядування {{!}} Заробітна плата|url=http://www.zarplata.co.ua/?p=6928|accessdate=2021-04-18|language=|date=2017-08-11}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Набрав чинності закон щодо статусу сільського старости в об'єднаних громадах|url=https://decentralization.gov.ua/admin/articles/4727.html|website=decentralization.gov.ua|accessdate=2021-04-03}}</ref><ref>Закон України від 9 лютого 2017 року № 1848-VIII [https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1848-VIII «Про внесення змін до деяких законів України щодо статусу старости села, селища»]</ref><ref name=":232">{{Cite web|title=Старости в селах об'єднаних громад: що змінює новий закон (+інфографіка)|url=https://decentralization.gov.ua/admin/articles/4433.html|website=decentralization.gov.ua|accessdate=2021-04-05|last=}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":232"/><ref>{{Cite web|title=Сільський староста: хто це такий, і які його завдання|url=https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-polytics/2187476-silskij-starosta-hto-ce-takij-i-aki-jogo-zavdanna.html|website=www.ukrinform.ua|date=5 March 2017 |accessdate=2021-04-18|language=uk}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 2, 2023 |title=Monitoring of the reform of local self-government and territorial organization of power |language=uk |work= |publisher=Ministry of Communities and Territories Development (Ukraine) |url=https://mtu.gov.ua/content/monitoring-reformi-miscevogo-samovryaduvannya-ta-teritorialnoi-organizacii-vladi.html}}</ref>
==Other countries==
*In Ruthenia (Kievan Rus) it was a lower government official.<ref name=":1" /> *In Galicia and Bukovina under Austrian rule a starosta supervised the county administration.<ref name=":1" /> *In Russia the word was used until the early 20th century to denote the elected leader of an ''obshchina''.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Гордеева |first=Мария Александровна |date=2018 |title=Сельская администрация в составе крестьянского самоуправления Томской губернии конца XIX – начала ХХ В. : становление самостоятельности |url=https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/selskaya-administratsiya-v-sostave-krestyanskogo-samoupravleniya-tomskoy-gubernii-kontsa-xix-nachala-hh-v-stanovlenie/pdf |journal=Журнал фронтирных исследований |language=ru |issue=4 |pages=11–22 |doi=10.24411/2500-0225-2018-10019 |issn=2500-0225}}</ref> *In Romania, in the Middle Ages, the word was used until the early 19th century to denote the elected leader of the merchants or craftsmen guilds.{{cn|date=November 2023}}
== Contemporary religious uses == ''Starosta'' is an official elected position in many Orthodox Christian churches, especially in Russia, Ukraine, and other Slavic-speaking countries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Лекции по Церковному Праву – протоерей Василий Певцов |url=https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Vasilij_Pevcov/lektsii-po-tserkovnomu-pravu/ |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=azbyka.ru |language=ru}}</ref> Though the position varies depending on the diocese and jurisdiction, the ''Starosta'' is generally responsible for housekeeping matters within the parish, facilitating logistics for services and cross processions, maintaining the physical church building and grounds, and ordering candles and other supplies for worship.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lebedeff |first=Archpriest Alexander |date=2022-08-21 |title=The House of God |url=http://www.orthodoxriver.org/catechism/the-house-of-god/ |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=Orthodox River |language=en}}</ref>
==See also== * Offices in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth * Starets
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Heads of local government * Category:Slavic titles Category:Noble titles Category:Polish titles Category:Local government in Ukraine Category:Local government in the Russian Empire Category:Titles of national or ethnic leadership *