Olšina ( or ''Wolsina'') is an extinct village in

Ralsko Ralsko () is a town in Česká Lípa District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,200 inhabitants. It comprises area of the former military training area with Hradčany Air Base. Ralsko is the fourth largest municipality ...

in the

Česká Lípa District Česká Lípa District () is a Okres, district in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Česká Lípa. Administrative division Česká Lípa District is divided into two Districts of the Czech Republic#Municipalities ...

in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. It lies in the former Ralsko military training area, about 13 kilometres east of

Mimoň Mimoň () is a town in Česká Lípa District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,400 inhabitants. Administrative division Mimoň consists of eight municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *M ...

History

The village was populated by both German-speaking and Czech-speaking Bohemians. In the mid-19th century, Wolschen/Olšina became part of the judicial district of Niemes for the Habsburg Crownland of Bohemia (and later for

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

). This district included 26 small villages in a large wooded area east of Niemes/Mimoň. In the early 1900s, Wolschen had 46 houses and 214 inhabitants, (mainly German-speaking with only a few Czechs). Agriculture, livestock and forestry were the main sources of livelihood. There was a church, a water pond, a school, three inns, two shops with several craftsmen and merchants. The village also had its own gendarmerie (sheriff), telephone connection, post office, brickyard, steam-powered sawmill and a milk dairy with a high chimney. The village was wired for electricity around 1922. The nearest railway station was at Niemes/Mimoň. After World War II, in 1947, Wolschen and the other villages in the area became part of the Ralsko military training area for decades. Most of the villages in this restricted area were destroyed. The military testing area was shut down in 1991 after Czechoslovakia's

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution () or Gentle Revolution () was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations against the one-party government of the Communist Pa ...

. Plans were being made to turn the area into a natural reserve/tourist area. There are only scant remnants of the village today.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olsina Former villages in the Czech Republic Česká Lípa District