Městys  Městys (or, unofficially or obsolete, městečko) is a status conferred on certain municipalities in the Czech Republic, lying in terms of size and importance higher than that of "obec" (village municipality, commune), but lower than that of "město" (city, town). "Městys" is translated as "market town". Historically a "městys" was a locality which had the right to stage livestock markets (and some other "extraordinary" and annual markets), and it is therefore often translated as "market town". The term went out of official use in Czechoslovakia in 1954, but was reintroduced in the Czech Republic in 2006. As of 2009, there are 192 localities on which the status of "městys" has been conferred. The development of the "městečka" began in the 14th century, decreed by the reigning monarch primarily on the land of the nobility and church. From the 16th century on, it became possible for settlements with significant springs to get the title "městys". The village then became entitled to call itself "městec", resulting in such place names as Městec Králové and Heřmanův Městec. The typical "městečko" was very small, and a large number were created during the 14th century. Eduard Maur estimated that the average distance between two "městečka" was 5–20 km. After the creation of Czechoslovakia in 1918, the status was conferred by the Ministerial Council on the basis of a detailed application from the village. According to the ""Statistický lexikon obcí v Republice československé"" (Statistical lexicon of villages in Czechoslovakia), there were 503 "městys" in Czechoslovakia in 1930. After the coup d'état of February 1948, the Communist ruling authorities ceased using the term by around 1950. After the Velvet Revolution of 1989, there was intense lobbying for the revival of the "městys" status from the representatives of villages which had previously held the title. On 27 January 2006 their efforts succeeded; the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic approved an amendment to the Municipalities Act (Establishment of Municipalities) , which amongst other matters restored the title of "městys".