Bílina

During the 10th century, the era of making Bohemian (Czech) state, a gord (Slavonic fortified settlement) was built here by Bohemian rulers as a defence point against German raids from neighbouring Saxon Eastern March (part of the Holy Roman Empire). The first written mention of the settlement, then a seat of a province (Latin: provincia Belinensis), dates back to 993 and comes from the Chronicle of Bohemians, which describes a battle between duke Bretislaus I and the German emperor Henry III near the gord.

Before the half of 13th century knight Ojíř of Friedberk built a new castle in the settlement, which was expanded into a mediaeval town with bulwarks and three gates.

Since the 2nd half of the 13th century German settlers were called into the border areas of the Bohemian Kingdom, introducing German town law; it was also the case with Bílina town which is first mentioned as a regular chartered town (civitas) in 1289.

In 1420 Bílina was kept by lord Albrecht of Koldice, well known for his anti-Hussite attitude. Thus, Bílina was surrounded and conquered by a Hussite hejtman Jakoubek of Vřesovice who returned Bílina to the Koldice family in 1436 and lords of Koldice kept the town until 1495.

After 1502, the town of Bílina was owned by the aristocratic family of Lobkowicz who later built on the place of Gothic castle a new château, designed by Swiss-Italian architect Antonio della Porta.

From October 1938 to May 1945 the town (with 60% of German inhabitants) was one of the municipalities in Sudetenland, part of the territory that Nazi Germany broke away from Czechoslovakia. During this period, Bílina was administered as a part of the Regierungsbezirk Aussig of Reichsgau Sudetenland. After the liberation of Czechoslovakia, almost all Germans from the town (and whole borderland area too) 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 Gypsies.

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

Biliner Sauerbrunn, by Franz Skopalik (1899)

Local symbol, a bottle of Bílinská kyselka, welcomes visitors of the town

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 Sedlitz bitter water, 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" (Josefs Quelle in German), 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.

4,315,300 bottles of Bílinská kyselka mineral water were exported in 1900, the biggest importer being Germany and Russia. The most distant country where water was exported was Brazil (Rio de Janeiro).