The town of Bílina is located in the Ústí Region, Teplice District, approximately 90 km northwest of Prague. The town is located in the Bílina river valley, halfway between Most and Teplice. The number of inhabitants of the city is 15. It is surrounded by the Chlum hill, and the slopes of the "Kyselkové hory" Kaňkova hill stretch to the west. In the south, the majestic phonolite (bell) mountain rises Bořen, which in its appearance resembles a reclining lion and forms a dominant feature in the wider area.
History of the city of Bílina:
Bílina in 1789
The name of the city originated from the adjective "bílý" (white) and the term Bielina was originally meant to denote a white, i.e. a deforested place. The first written report about Bílina dates back to 993 and comes from the oldest Czech Kosm's chronicle in the description of the war between Břetislav I and the German emperor Henry III. Bílina then became the princely city of the Lobkovics. At the end of the 19th century, it was one of the best equipped cities in Central Europe. Thanks to its natural beauty and spa facilities, Bílina was frequently visited by important personalities of art and science.
The world-famous spring town of Bílina
The springs of Bílinská kyselka, the pearls of European healing waters
Bílina is a world-famous spring town thanks to Bílinské kyselke a Jaječice bitter water. Both of these natural healing sources belong to the Czech national wealth and have been known throughout the civilized world for centuries, as the first world encyclopedias mention them. The bottling of these original springs takes place with modern technology directly at the original location of the industrial and commercial directorate of the springs in Lobkovice.
Brochure about Bílina and its healing waters from the 19th century.
The chronicler Václav Hájek from Libočany already mentions the healing waters in Bílina in the first half of the 16th century. In 1712 there were surface springs Bílinské kyselky cleaned and welcomed the first guests. Since then, the collection system has been continuously improved up to the current wells with a depth of 200 m. Many important experts have contributed to the spread of awareness about the spa. But most of all the Lobkovic court councilor, geologist, balneologist and doctor František Ambrož Reuss (1761–1830) – a Czech doctor, balneologist, mineralogist and geologist who confirmed the effectiveness of Bílina healing water. His son August Emanuel Reuss (1811–1873) – Czech-Austrian naturalist, paleontologist continued his scientific work studying the medical use of Bílinská and Zaječická waters. In the 19th century, the citizens of the town of Bílina built a large monument to both of them from the municipal collection, which forms the dominant feature of the spa center of Bílina.
From the beginning, doctors recommended Bílinská kyselka for diseases of the respiratory tract, for suffocation, for the initial stage of pulmonary tuberculosis, for diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract, especially for the presence of stones and sand, also for rheumatism and, last but not least, for disorders of the nervous system, such as hysteria and hypochondria. She was throughout the period of Austria-Hungary and socialism Bílinská kyselka used as a drink in hospitals and a protective drink in heavy industry. One of the fathers of world chemistry was responsible for the phenomenal expansion in the Svern lands. JJ Berzelius, who dedicated several of his professional works to the Bílina Spa.
The first encyclopedia printed in Czech speaks of Bílinská as follows:
In the second half of the 2th century, Bílinská water, labeled as "sour" due to the content of sparkling carbon dioxide bubbles, began to be bottled in clay jugs and distributed all over the world. Shops quickly flourished thanks to its use in the spa town of Teplice. Prominent guests of the renowned Teplice spa soon spread their fame Bílinské kyselky to the whole world and she was soon named the queen of European alkaline healing springs.
Zaječická bitter water, the purest bitter salt spring in the world
In 1726, Dr. Bedřich Hoffman described the newly discovered bitter healing springs near Sedlec. These were a long-sought-after source of substitutes for the universal laxative, bitter salt, for the whole world. This purest bitter salt spring in the world, known as Sedlecká, inspired the emerging field of pharmacy. The so-called "saddle powders" were produced from New Zealand to Ireland. These two white powders packaged together were intended to imitate the well-known products of the well-known spring town Bílina. But they were just fakes.
1725 – B. Hoffmann announces to the world the discovery of Zaječická (Sedlecká) bitter water.
In the 19th century, the spa expanded, a large park was built, and later a large bathhouse in the pseudo-Renaissance style, where diseases of the upper respiratory tract were treated. After World War II, the spa was nationalized and named after Julio Fučík under socialism. Due to the bad air in the area, it was no longer possible to treat respiratory diseases here, and the spa again reoriented itself to help after operations on the stomach and small intestine. The castle park and its surroundings were not maintained and fell into disrepair over time.
In the 70s, Bílina received the status of a spa town, and this heralded the new development of spas. The park was renovated and a mini-golf course was built for guests, up to 3 patients were treated here each year, but they did not benefit from the exhalations of the nearby power plant or the general pollution of the North Bohemian region.
The directorate was founded by BÍLINA
After 1989, the Lobkowitz family acquired the Kyselka Spa in restitution, and the area was divided into a mineral water bottling plant and a spa. Now the environment around the spa is constantly improving and the prospects are very positive thanks to the reduction of mining and the desulphurization of power plants. The spring buildings are now fully reconstructed and the modern production plant distributes Bílina's natural healing resources to the domestic and world markets, where they represent the city of Bílina very well.
Bořen (539 m above sea level):
Mount Bořeň is undoubtedly the biggest landmark of the town of Bílina, from which it is only 2 km away as the crow flies. Its silhouette with curves rising almost vertically upward is completely unique in its shape not only for the Czech Central Highlands region, but within the entire Czech Republic as a whole. JW Goethe immortalized this silhouette several times during his stay in Bílina. A. v. Humboldt called the trip from Bořen one of the most interesting in the world.
Although the mountain itself lies outside the administrative boundary of the protected landscape area, it rightfully belongs to the most important symbols of the Bohemian Central Highlands. Thanks to its massive and steep rocky shape, a visit to Bořná has a lot to offer. And this in several areas: The beautiful circular view of the wall of the Ore Mountains, the České středohoří, the town of Bílinu with the Radovy dump, the pod Orešnohorská basin, or the distant Doupovská Mountains attracts many tourists. They will undoubtedly appreciate the numerous rock formations in the form of rocky ridges, high rock walls, free-standing rock towers, stone rubble and rock clefts.
It is therefore not surprising that since the beginning of the 20th century, Bořeň has also been the most popular climbing terrain in the wider area. Rock walls up to 100 m high even enable high-altitude ascents, climbing training can be carried out here in summer as well as in winter. But Bořeň is not only attractive from a human point of view because of its uniqueness, its geological structure offers a home to a number of unique species of plants and animals. This is also why the area of Bořně, with a total area of 23 hectares, was declared a national nature reserve in 1977.
Forest cafe Caffé Pavillon, popularly known as "Kafáč":
The famous forest cafe, a copy of a Swedish hotel and a reminder of the beginning of Bílinská's fame in Scandinavia (Thanks to the work of JJ Berzelia) originally stood at the regional jubilee exhibition in Prague in 1891, and in the following two years it was built at its current location, where it became an integral part of the Bílin spa park . The forest cafe was and is an oasis of peace.
Sports facilities:
Aquapark:
In the complex you will find a beach volleyball court, a netball court, a concrete table for table tennis, and a pétanque court. Sports equipment can be rented at the reception. Inflatable water attractions and a toboggan are available to visitors at no extra charge. In 2012, a new area around the pool was built with a plastic concrete surface, which replaced the old, constantly peeling tiles. Pool visitors can take advantage of new storage lockers with coin-operated security locks that easily accommodate a medium backpack or beach bag. The swimming pool is open every day from 10:00 a.m. to 19:00 p.m.
Museum of Healing Waters and Mineralogy:
In the main building of the springs directorate there is an Info center and a museum of mineralogy, mining and trade with natural healing waters. The spring plant organizes regular excursions with classes for schools, the professional public and tourists. A conference room is also available for full-day training in the use of natural healing resources.
Tennis courts:
Every year in the second half of April, the tennis courts in Bílina are opened to visitors. In season, the courtyards are open from 08:30 a.m. to 20:30 p.m. Visitors can reserve the courts, and you can also use the option of spinning tennis rackets. Tennis courts can be found at: Kyselská 410, Bílina.
Minigolf:
You can experience fun, but also relax when you visit mini golf. The operating hours of minigolf in the period until 30.06.2015/14/00 are as follows: Monday to Friday 19:00–10:00, Saturday and Sunday 19:00–411:XNUMX – minigolf can be found at: Kyselská XNUMX, Bílina.
Winter stadium:
Since 2001, Bílina has enjoyed a covered winter stadium. It is mainly used by youth categories. The public can also enjoy sports here. Public skating takes place several times a week during the season from September to March. Children from kindergartens and elementary schools also spend physical education classes here. The evening hours are mainly reserved for unregistered hockey players.