Kraslice

Kraslice is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. From 1938 to 1945 it was one of the municipalities in Sudetenland.GeographyThe town is situated on the southern slopes of the eastern reaches of the Ore Mountains, some 5 km from the neighbouring German town of Klingenthal. It lies in an area known for swarm type seismic activity. The last strong earthquake swarm was in 1986.The city lies on railway line No 145 from Sokolov to Klingenthal. Passenger services are provided by the railway company of Viamont.HistoryGerman monks from Waldsassen Abbey in Bavaria were the first to settle the upper Svatava valley in the 12th century. The town was granted regal city status by Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV in 1370. In 1944 a women's subcamp of Flossenbürg concentration camp was established here.EtymologyThe roots of the name derive from the medieval German "Graz", meaning pine forest. Many variants were used throughout the town's history: Greselin, Zum Greselin, Gresslens, Gresslas, Gresslitz, Graeslitz and Graslitz. The Czech name is a transliteration of the last used German name.