Doctor Josef Vilém von Löschner is the absolute pillar of the story of Bílinská kyselka. It is no exaggeration to say that it was he who transformed the local springs into a world-renowned medical phenomenon and laid the scientific foundations of modern Czech spas.
Prof. Josef Vilém von Löschner, MD (1809–1888)
Imperial physician, visionary of balneology and "discoverer" of Zaječická bitter
Professor Josef Vilém Löschner was born on May 7, 1809 in Kadaň, but his name will forever remain in golden letters in the history of Bílina. He was a man of great insight, tireless energy and a brilliant mind, who was able to brilliantly connect medicine, natural sciences and education. He was at the birth of modern balneology and his influence was reflected in every drop of Bílinská kyselka and Zaječická bořká vody.
The path to science and imperial favor
He studied medicine at the Charles Ferdinand University in Prague, where he later became a professor and even rector in 1862. Löschner was a visionary: he was one of the first to recognize the immense potential of natural healing waters and began teaching them as a separate subject at the university. His professional qualities were so exceptional that he was appointed personal physician to the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph I. This gave him not only enormous social influence, but also the opportunity to promote Czech spas at the highest European level.
Bílina: Science turned into gold
Löschner's key contribution to Bílina lies in his uncompromising scientific approach. While previously healing waters were more a matter of tradition and belief, Löschner (in collaboration with other experts such as the Reuss family) carried out precise chemical and balneological analyses of Bílina's springs.
In 1853 published a major publication The Saidschitz Bitterwater (Zaječická bořká voda), in which he scientifically described and proved its unique laxative effects and beneficial effect on the digestive tract. It was this book, supported by his authority, that started an unprecedented boom. Thanks to him, Bílinská kyselka and especially Zaječická bořká became world-renowned medical articles that could not be missing in any good European pharmacy.
The pediatrician who treated with water
Less well-known, but extremely important for Bílina, is the fact that Löschner was also one of the founders of modern pediatrics (children's medicine). He was the director of the children's hospital in Prague. He was able to brilliantly translate his experience with children into balneology - he was the first to recommend and develop procedures for the use of Bílina mineral water in the treatment of children's patients, especially for gout, rheumatism and indigestion. This gave Bílina another unique dimension of spa tourism.
A knight with love for the Bílin region
For his lifelong work and services to science and the monarchy, he was ennobled with the title of "von Löschner". Although he worked in Vienna and Prague, his heart remained in the Bílina region. The residents of Bílina, grateful for the unprecedented prosperity and fame he brought to their town, erected a monumental monument with a bronze bust in his honor in the spa area near the Inhalatorium in 1909, which stands there as a reminder of his genius to this day.