In war, in the event of the imminent capture of a city, the government/military structure of the country that owns the city will sometimes declare it an open city, thus announcing that they have abandoned all defensive efforts. The attacking armies of the opposing military will then be expected not to bomb or otherwise attack the city, but simply to march in. The concept aims at protecting the civilians who dwell in the city from an unnecessary battle. War is a state of widespread conflict between states, organisations, or relatively large groups of people, which is characterised by the use of lethal violence between combatants or upon civilians. ... Melbourne, Australia by night For alternate meanings see city (disambiguation) A city is an urban area, differentiated from a town, village, or hamlet by size, population density, importance, or legal status. ... Look up Country in Wiktionary, the free dictionary In political geography and international politics a country is a political entity with its own territory and citizens, subject to international law. ... Army (from French armée) can, in some countries, refer to any armed force. ... Massive ordinance air-burst bomb. ... A civilian is a person who is not a member of a military. ...

Some examples of declarations of a open city include:

• Paris in 1940, from which the French Government fled after it became apparent that they could not defend it.
• Manila in 1942, which the American military abandoned because the city had lost strategic value in light of events.
• Rome in 1944, which the German military forces declared unilaterally an "open city" before pulling away their forces from the place in June of that year.

Attacking forces do not always respect the declaration of an "open city". This happened, for example, with the German bombardment of Belgrade in April 1941. The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Symbol of the French government The government of France is a semi-presidential system based on the French Constitution of the fifth Republic, in which the nation declares itself to be an indivisible, secular, democratic, and social Republic. The constitution provides for a separation of powers and proclaims Frances... // For other meanings of the word, see Manila (disambiguation). ... This article is about the year. ... The armed forces of the United States of America consist of the United States Army United States Marine Corps United States Navy United States Air Force United States Coast Guard Approximately 1. ... Military strategy in the Waterloo campaign Military strategy is a collective name for planning the conduct of warfare. ... City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC mythical, 1st millennium BC Region Latium Mayor Walter Veltroni (Left-Wing Democrats) Area  - City Proper  1290 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 2,546,807 almost 4,000,000 1... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... [[Image:|Location of Belgrade]] Mayor Nenad Bogdanović Area 359. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Compare: rules of war The laws of war (Jus in bello) define the conduct and responsibilities of belligerent nations, neutral nations and individuals engaged in warfare, in relation to each other and to protected persons, usually meaning civilians. ...