| Oloví | |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Karlovy Vary |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Sokolov |
| Pushpin Map: | Czech Republic |
| Pushpin Relief: | 1 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the Czech Republic |
| Coordinates: | 50.2456°N 12.5508°W |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Jiří Mikuláš |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | 1523 |
| Area Total Km2: | 19.05 |
| Elevation M: | 528 |
| Population As Of: | 2024-01-01 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 1641 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | CET |
| Utc Offset1: | +1 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 357 07 |
Oloví (German: Bleistadt) is a town in Sokolov District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,600 inhabitants.
The villages of Hory, Nové Domy and Studenec are administrative parts of Oloví.
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).
Oloví is located about 10km (10miles) northwest of Sokolov and 21km (13miles) west of Karlovy Vary. It lies in the western part of the Ore Mountains. The highest point is at 681m (2,234feet) above sea level. The Svatava River flows through the town.
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.[2]
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.
Oloví is located on the railway line Sokolov–Kraslice.
The main landmark of Oloví is the Church of Saint Michael the Archangel. It was built in the neo-Gothic style in 1901–1902.[3]
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Czech Republic. Oloví is twinned with:[4]