open city

Definitions

1. A city which has announced (during wartime) that it has abandoned all defensive efforts, generally in the event of its imminent capture.
2. A city that (during peacetime) is not heavily restricted regarding ingress and egress because it does not contain militarily sensitive facilities or extensive defense industrial plant.

Equivalents

Examples

““You needn’t worry⟳ about bombs, by the way. Dresden is an open⟳ city. It is undefended, and contains no war industries or troop concentrations of any importance.””

CEFR level