The Bílina (; german: Biela) rises on the slopes of the
Ore Mountains in the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
, north of
Chomutov
Chomutov (; german: Komotau) is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 46,000 inhabitants. There are almost 80,000 inhabitants in the city's wider metropolitan area. The city centre is well preserved and is protec ...
. The river flows between the
Czech Central Mountains
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus'
Places
*Czech ...
and the Ore Mountains to the north-east, and empties into the
Elbe
The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Repu ...
in
Ústí nad Labem
Ústí nad Labem (, , ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of its eponymous region and district. It is a major industrial centre and, besides being an active river port, is an important railway ju ...
.
The catchment area of the river covers an area of 1,082 km², and its total length is 82.0 km.
In the upper part it flows through a man-made riverbed which was created when lignite mining in the area around
Most
Most or Möst or ''variation'', may refer to:
Places
* Most, Kardzhali Province, a village in Bulgaria
* Most (city), a city in the Czech Republic
** Most District, a district surrounding the city
** Most Basin, a lowland named after the city
** A ...
started. At the same time, the former Lake Komořany was drained.
A substantial part of the flow was extracted for use in chemical plants in Záluží u Litvínova. The highly polluted output killed all fish. The situation improved significantly during the 1990s. The flow rate is currently artificially increased by redirection of water from the catchment area of the
Ohře
The Ohře () or, slightly less commonly in English sources, the Eger (, Czech also: ''Oharka'' or ''Ohara'', Celtic: ''Agara'', pl, Ohrza), is a 316 km river in Germany (50 km) and the Czech Republic (266 km), left tributary of t ...
. However, the Bílina is still one of the most polluted rivers in the Czech Republic.
For most of the river's length it flows through open, treeless countryside. The river bed is 5 to 10 metres wide, mostly regulated. The river has no major tributaries. Towns located on the river include
Jirkov
Jirkov (; german: Görkau) is a town in Chomutov District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 19,000 inhabitants. Jirkov creates a conurbation with Chomutov.
Administrative parts
Town parts and villages of Březenec ...
,
Most
Most or Möst or ''variation'', may refer to:
Places
* Most, Kardzhali Province, a village in Bulgaria
* Most (city), a city in the Czech Republic
** Most District, a district surrounding the city
** Most Basin, a lowland named after the city
** A ...
,
Bílina
Bílina (; german: Bilin) is a town in Teplice District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 14,000 inhabitants. It is known for its spas and as a source of the strongly mineralized water, Bílinská kyselka. The to ...
and
Ústí nad Labem
Ústí nad Labem (, , ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of its eponymous region and district. It is a major industrial centre and, besides being an active river port, is an important railway ju ...
.
References
Rivers of the Ústí nad Labem Region
Most District
Chomutov District
Teplice District
Ústí nad Labem District
{{CzechRepublic-river-stub