Bořeň hill is a distinctive landmark in the landscape of north-western Bohemia, where its unmistakable silhouette looms over the spa town of Bílina. However, Bořeň also holds an important place in the history of the geological sciences. It was climbed by greats such as J. W. von Goethe and Alexander von Humboldt, in search of answers to the mystery of the origin of rocks. From the summit of Bořeň we can see right across the entire region that was so crucial for furthering our understanding of the development of the Earth.

The geologically diverse and attractive landscape of north-western Bohemia has become a paradise for romantics and spa guests, but is also the birthplace of geology. Back in the early 19th century there was no clear theory on how rocks originated. Geology was merely descriptive back then, and mostly overlooked the actual processes involved. There were two schools of thought, known as Neptunism and Plutonism (named after Neptune, the god of the sea, and Pluto, god of the underworld). The followers of Neptunism believed that rocks were formed by sediments being deposited on the sea bed and then crystallizing; they considered volcanic rocks such as basalt and phonolites to be the result of underground fires in coal seams. The Plutonists, on the other hand, believed that volcanic activity was the cause, and that rocks originated in the depths of the Earth.

Bílina was home to a tradition of spa physicians who were interested not only in the town’s healing springs, but also in their origin, composition, and protection. At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries the spa physician and naturalist Franz Ambrosius Reuss worked in the town. He was a pupil of the Freiberg professor Gottlob Werner, who was the founder of Neptunism. The poet and natural scientist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe spent many months in north-western Bohemia between 1805 and 1823. He alternately tended towards both theories and visited Bořeň several times in the company of Reuss (they were also accompanied by the Ústí doctor J. A. Stolz), to ponder the possibility that the phonolite that formed the hill was volcanic in origin. The site was also visited (together with Reuss) by the traveller and scientist Alexander von Humboldt. He was initially a fervent pupil of Werner, but later came to support the volcanism theory. Besides Bořeň, another crucial site in the debate between the Neptunists and Plutonists was Komorní hůrka near Chebu. Neptunism was a well-established and deep-rooted theory, and continued to hold sway in the learned society of Bohemia through Reuss Sr. and later F. X. M. Zippe; J. Krejčí was also initially a Neptunist, but the emerging new science eventually proved that the Plutonists were right.

Connected places: Reuss Memorial at Bílina spa
Komorní hůrka near Cheb
August Emanuel Reuss
Franz Ambrosius Reuss
J. W. Goethe Commemorative Plaque in Bílina-Kyselka
Johan Anton StolzPamátník Reussů v lázních Bílina; Komorní hůrka u Chebu; Franz Ambros Reuss; Pamětní deska Johanna W. Goetha v Bílině - Kyselce