Bílina River
Encyclopedia
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, north of Chomutov
Chomutov
Chomutov is a city in the Czech Republic, in the Ústí nad Labem Region.Chomutov has been a statutory town since 1 July 2006. It occupies an area of 29,26 km² and has 50 782 inhabitants , thereby making it the 20th largest town in the Czech Republic, the 4th largest in the Ústí nad Labem...
. The river flows between the Czech Central Mountains and the Ore Mountains to the north-east, and runs into the Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
in Ústí nad Labem
Ústí nad Labem
Ústí nad Labem is a city of the Czech Republic, in the Ústí nad Labem Region. The city is the 7th-most populous in the country.Ústí is situated in a mountainous district at the confluence of the Bílina and the Elbe Rivers, and, besides being an active river port, is an important railway junction...
.
The catchment area of the river amounts to 1,071 km². In the upper part if flows through a man-made riverbed which was created when lignite mining in the area around Most
Most
Most is the capital city of the Most District, situated between the Czech Central Mountains and the Ore Mountains, approximately northwest of Prague along the Bílina River and southwest of Ústí nad Labem.-Etymology:...
started. At the same time, the former Komořany lake 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 in the 1990s. The flow rate is currently artificially increased by redirection of water from the catchment area of the Ohře
Ohre
The Ohře is a 316 km long river in Germany and the Czech Republic , left tributary of the Elbe. The basin area of the river has a size of 6,255 km², of which 5,614 km² are in the Czech Republic and 641 km² in Germany...
. 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, forestless landscape. The river bed is 5 to 10 meters wide, mostly regulated. The river has no major tributaries. Towns located around the river include Jirkov
Jirkov
Jirkov is a small town situated between Most and Chomutov in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic and is situated on the Chomutov - Ústi nad Labem railway line. Although geographically close to the German border, the presence of hills along the border hinders land travel to...
, Most
Most
Most is the capital city of the Most District, situated between the Czech Central Mountains and the Ore Mountains, approximately northwest of Prague along the Bílina River and southwest of Ústí nad Labem.-Etymology:...
, Bílina
Bílina
Bílina is a town in the Teplice District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It is located on the river Bílina. It is known for its comforting and relaxing spas.-Location:...
and Ústí nad Labem
Ústí nad Labem
Ústí nad Labem is a city of the Czech Republic, in the Ústí nad Labem Region. The city is the 7th-most populous in the country.Ústí is situated in a mountainous district at the confluence of the Bílina and the Elbe Rivers, and, besides being an active river port, is an important railway junction...
.