History

The first settlement of the region is has Slavic origin. First document about Oelsnitz comes form 1200. The first mention of James' Church was already in 1227. In the years 1232 to 1248 the governors built the castle Voigtsberg Strassberg. Between 1327 and 1356 took place the re-design of the city. The first documented evidence of Oelsnitzer town charter dates from 1357. This year, as a result of the war the city and the castle Voigtsberg came under control under the bailiffs on the Plauen Wettin. In the Smalcald War Wettin Ernestine Castle County Meissen was lost to the family of the governors of Plauen. The Saxon troops defeated the Protestant Wettin after the Catholic-Imperial army under control of the Bohemian military leader of Weitmühl Sebastian at the battle of Oelsnitz on 1 November 1546 . Oelsnitz found his way back under vögtische rule until the rule Voigtsberg including Oelsnitz 1563 finally lost to the Albertine Wettin. On 13 August 1632, during the Thirty Years' War, the city was sacked and burned. Many residents, including those who fled into the church, were killed.

The town hall in the market was built in 1861-1864 (42 meters height). 

The first municipality was in June 1927.

Until the formation of the Vogtlandkreis Oelsnitz 1994, Oelsnitz was the seat of the district Oelsnitz (joint license plate with Klingenthal: OVL (Upper Vogtland)).