Oloví

Oloví (German: Bleistadt) is a town in Sokolov District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,700 inhabitants.

Oloví
Town
View from a hill
Coat of arms
Oloví Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°14′44″N 12°33′3″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Karlovy Vary
District	Sokolov
Founded	1523
Government
• Mayor	Jiří Mikuláš
Area
• Total	19.05 km2 (7.36 sq mi)
Elevation	528 m (1,732 ft)
Population  (2025-01-01)[1]
• Total	1,651
• Density	87/km2 (220/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	357 07
Website	www.olovi.cz

Administrative division

Oloví consists of four municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):^[2]

• Oloví (689)
• Hory (786)
• Nové Domy (15)
• Studenec (67)

Etymology

Both the Czech name Oloví and German name Bleistadt refer to the reason for the founding of the town, which was lead mining (lead = olovo in Czech and Blei in German).

Geography

Oloví is located about 10 kilometres (6 mi) northwest of Sokolov and 21 km (13 mi) west of Karlovy Vary. It lies in the western part of the Ore Mountains. The highest point is at 681 m (2,234 ft) above sea level. The Svatava River flows through the town.

History

Oloví was founded by Stephan Schlick in 1523 within his newly acquired Hartenberg estate. Since its foundation, lead and to a lesser extent silver were mined in the area. After the properties of the Schlick family were confiscated by King Ferdinand I, the estate was acquired by Lords of Plauen in 1551. In 1561, Ferdinand I separated Oloví from the Hartenberg estate and promoted it to a royal mining town. Because of the Thirty Years' War, the collapsing of tunnels and floods on the Svatava River, mining was reduced.^[3]

From 1938 to 1945, the town was annexed by Nazi Germany and administered as part of the Reichsgau Sudetenland. After World War II, the German population was expelled.

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 2,177 —     1880 2,194 +0.8% 1890 1,898 −13.5% 1900 2,472 +30.2% 1910 3,664 +48.2%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 3,396 −7.3% 1930 3,589 +5.7% 1950 1,684 −53.1% 1961 1,943 +15.4% 1970 2,266 +16.6%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 2,146 −5.3% 1991 1,783 −16.9% 2001 1,901 +6.6% 2011 1,741 −8.4% 2021 1,557 −10.6%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

Transport

Oloví is located on the railway line Sokolov–Kraslice.

Sights

Church of Saint Michael the Archangel

The main landmark of Oloví is the Church of Saint Michael the Archangel. It was built in the neo-Gothic style in 1901–1902.^[6]

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Czech Republic

Oloví is twinned with:^[7]

• Kastl, Germany