Bílina

Bílina (Bilin) is a town in Teplice District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 15,000 inhabitants. It is known for its spas and as a source of the strongly mineralized water, Bílinská kyselka. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Administrative parts
Bílina is made up of six town parts: Bílina, Chudeřice, Mostecké Předměstí, Pražské Předměstí, Teplické Předměstí and Újezdské Předměstí.

Etymology
The name of the town originates from the adjective bílý (bielý in Old Czech), meaning "white". The term Bielina ("white/bald place") is etymologically derived either from fact there was an area without any wood or from sparkling waters of the Bílina river (formerly called Bělá).

Geography
Bílina is located about 10 km south of Teplice and 10 km northeast of Most. It lies on the border between the Most Basin and Central Bohemian Uplands. It is situated in the valley of the Bílina River.

The town is dominated by two features. The steep hill of Bořeň is a large phonolite hill, dominating the town and its surroundings. It lies on the southern municipal border and is the highest point of the town at 539 m above sea level. It lies in the eponymous national nature reserve. The second feature is the giant lignite mine Bílina which seriously changed and damaged surrounding landscape.

10th–15th centuries
In the 10th century, a gord was built here and became the new administrative centre of the area. The first written mention of Bílina is on a privilege of Pope John XV from 993, when it was mentioned as a seat of a province (provincia Belinensis). A record in Chronica Boemorum describes a battle between Duke Bretislaus I and the German Emperor Henry III near the gord in 1040–1041.

In the 1230s, Bílina ceased to be the administrative centre. In 1237, King Wenceslaus I donated Bílina to the knight Ojíř of Friedberg, who had built a new castle in the settlement, which was expanded into a medieval town with bulwarks and three gates in the second half of the 14th century. Bílina was referred to as a town for the first time in 1263.

In 1407, Bílina was purchased by lord Albrecht of Koldice, well known for his anti-Hussite attitude. Thus, Bílina was surrounded and conquered by the Hussite hejtman Jakoubek of Vřesovice who returned Bílina to the Koldice family in 1436. Lords of Koldice kept the town until 1495.

16th–19th centuries
In 1502, Bílina was acquired by the aristocratic Lobkowicz family who later had built a new castle on the site of the Gothic castle, designed by Swiss-Italian architect Antonio della Porta. In 1568, a large fire severely damaged the town. In 1634, during the Thirty Years' War, the town was conquered and looted by the Swedish army. Due to the violent re-Catholicization, part of the inhabitants of Bílina were murdered and others emigrated to Protestant countries. The town was then re-settled by people from Saxony and gradually became predominantly German-speaking. In the second half of the 17th century, the town recovered and began to prosper again.

The rapid development of Bílina occurred in the 19th century, when industrialization began. A sugar factory, a porcelain factory and a glass factory were established. The town fortifications were gradually demolished and the town expanded. In 1871–1872 and 1874–1887, the two railways were built. Czech families started moving to the town for work.

20th century
From October 1938 to May 1945, was annexed by Nazi Germany and administered as a part of Reichsgau Sudetenland. After the liberation of Czechoslovakia, almost all Germans from the town were expelled. The decline in population was replaced after the war by immigrants of Czech origin from Volhynia and Balkans, as well as Slovaks and Romani people.

Another turning point in the history of town was a changeover in 1989, after the end of the Communist regime. Descendants of the Lobkowicz family regained a part of their original property, including the spa; the spa was sold to a private company in 1997.

Spa
Local springs of delicious mineral water began to be systematically exploited already in 1664. In 1702 Princess Eleonore of Lobkowicz had the mineral spring cleaned and the very first spa guests began to visit. By the end of 19th century the spa Biliner Sauerbrunn (meaning "Carbonated springs of Bílina" in German) had become the pride of the town. Bílina also received the nickname "Vichy of Germany". The digestive pastilles produced here also provided a worldwide common name for digestive regulators and laxatives: "Seidlitz Powders." The lozenges were made from the spring's mineral water Zaječická hořká, which was also used in the local spa balneology.

Scientific descriptions of the medicinal properties of local water treatment have contributed to the works of significant balneologists, including Franz Ambrosius Reuss, August Emanuel von Reuss and Josef von Löschner. Father and son Reuss are depicted in the spa Bílina memorial, which dominates the spa's central park.

In 1878 a large spa complex was built in a Renaissance Revival style, designed by the Lobkowicz family architect and builder Franz Sablik. Above the main spring, called "Joseph's Spring", a so-called spring temple was built, which protected it from the influences of the surroundings and at the same time allowed visitors to gather water as it was common in other European spas. Another building became popular among visitors: Forest Café, built as a timber pavilion in Swiss mountainous style.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the biggest importers were Germany and Russia. The most distant country where water was exported was Brazil (Rio de Janeiro).

Economy
The largest employer based in the town is AGC Automotive Czech, engaged in shaping and processing of flat glass. It employs more than 1,500 people. Other large companies with more than 500 employees are Prodeco (manufacturer of machinery for mining and quarrying) and Revitrans (engaged in the rental and maintenance of construction and mining machinery).

Transport
The I/13 road (the section from Most to Teplice, part of the European route E442) passes through the town.

Bílina is located on several important railway lines, including Prague–Cheb and Děčín–Kadaň.

Sport
The town boasts a modern multipurpose stadium and a winter stadium with a capacity of 1,000 people. There is also a swimming pool.

Sights
Lobkowicz Castle is a baroque castle built in the years 1676–1682 on the site of an earlier Gothic castle. A preserved Hussite bastion as a remnant of the massive town fortifications is in the eastern part of the castle complex. The castle is privately owned.

The town hall is a main landmark of the Mírové Square in the historic town centre. It is an Art Nouveau building, built in 1908–1911. The Marian column and the fountain on the square are from the second half of the 17th century.

The Church of Saints Peter and Paul is a parish church and historic monument. The original church was built already in 1061. The entire architecture blends Gothic and Renaissance elements, created during the reconstruction in 1573–1575, after the town was hit by a fire.

Kyselka spa complex includes the spring house of the mineral waters, cafes and natural amphitheatre in a forest setting.

Notable people

 * Johann Adalbert Angermeyer (1674–1742), German-Bohemian painter
 * August Emanuel von Reuss (1811–1873), Austrian geologist
 * Gustav Walter (1834–1910), Austrian opera singer
 * August Leopold von Reuss (1841–1924), Austrian ophthalmologist
 * Heinrich Krafft (1914–1942), German flying ace
 * Miloslav Stingl (1930–2020), ethnologist, traveller and author

Twin towns – sister cities
Bílina is twinned with:


 * 🇵🇱 Biłgoraj, Poland
 * 🇩🇪 Dippoldiswalde, Germany
 * 🇵🇱 Jaraczewo, Poland
 * 🇨🇿 Kobylí, Czech Republic
 * 🇺🇦 Novovolynsk, Ukraine
 * 🇸🇰 Stropkov, Slovakia