The Mayor Phenomenon. Personalities Running Cities in the 19th and 20th Centuries

The 41st international conference on Urban History held by the Prague City Archives, Institute of History of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Faculty of Humanities of Charles University, Faculty of Arts of J. E. Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem and Institute of History and Archival Studies of Pedagogical University of Cracow

Program

The mayor’s function with a historical tradition has been preserved in the modern history of city administration. Representatives of the city had different powers at different times. Many of the mayors went beyond the mere formal representation of the city and became active urban policy makers. They were able to promote visions or specific political programmes and initiate the expansion of towns, their housing construction, the building of modern infrastructure, implementing generous social policy and supporting the cultural development of the towns. They were able to represent the city beyond the country's borders and open urban policy to foreign contacts and experience. Some of them also entered national politics while performing their local function. For others, a leading position in the city became a springboard to national politics. At our conference, we would like to focus especially on those personalities at the head of large cities in the 19th and 20th centuries who significantly influenced their development and left a significant (albeit often controversial) mark on their history. Persons in the background of urban policy should not be forgotten, individuals who, either by virtue of a specific position in city administration or only in an informal position, influenced the direction of urban policy and often overshadowed the personalities of mayors.

Call for Papers_EN     Call for Papers_DE

The registration for the conference is possible at the email address Marketa.Ruckova@praha.eu until 29 September 2022.

Conference languages:
Conference languages are Czech and German, with simultaneous interpretation, or English.