Empire but was not tied to ownership of land. 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. Other countries In Ruthenia (Kievan Rus) it was a lower government official. In Lithuania since 1991, seniūnas is the title of the head of a province. In Galicia and Bukovina under Austrian rule a starosta supervised the county administration. In Russia the word was used until the early 20th century to denote the elected leader of an obshchina. In Ukraine during 1918 it was a post of an appointed official who represented the central government in regions. From 2015 is an official of a village that is a part of the united commune. 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. See also Offices in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Seniūnija Starets References External links Encyclopedia of Ukraine: Starosta Starosta in the Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine Heads of local government Slavic titles Noble titles Polish titles Polish words and phrases Local government in the Russian Empire Titles of national or ethnic leadership