Jílové


Jílové is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic.

Geography

It is situated within the Bohemian Switzerland range of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains in the valley of the Jílovský potok creek, a left tributary of the Elbe River. The town is located at the foot of the Děčínský Sněžník mountain, about west of Děčín. Due to its picturesque setting, Jílové is a popular destination for daytrippers.

History

Eulow, a settlement on an ancient trade route in the Kingdom of Bohemia, was first mentioned in a 1348 deed issued by Emperor Charles IV. The nearby Lotarův vrch mountain may already had been the site of the 1126 Battle of Chlumec between Duke Soběslav I of Bohemia and King Lothair III of Germany, whose exact location is unknown.
A local water castle, erected in the 14th century, was documented in 1554, when it was held by the Lords of Lípa. After the 1620 Battle of White Mountain, the estates were seized by Emperor Ferdinand II and in 1629 granted to the Counts of Thun und Hohenstein residing at Děčín. The Thun-Hohenstein dynasty had the castle rebuilt with extended gardens.
Large parts of the settlement were devastated during the 1813 Battle of Kulm. After World War II, the German population was expelled and the Thun-Hohenstein properties were transferred to the Czechoslovak Republic. Jílové received town privileges in 1964.