Ústí nad Labem, Ústí Region Administrative Centre, (218 metres above sea level; 100,000 inhabitants) is situated at the confluence of the Elbe and the Bílina rivers. The Ore Mountains surround the town boundary on the northwest. To the north of Ústí there is a popular rock town Tiské stěny. If you go from Lovosice to Ústí nad Labem by train or by car, you will follow the Elbe river on its way through a deep valley which belongs to the Bohemian Central Highlands. On a high rock on the right bank of the Elbe you will see Střekov castle and soon you can learn about the history and the present of the regional capital. Its history is rich and often troubled. Already in 1249 it is mentioned as a town. Over the centuries the periods of development have alternated with periods of devastating wars…
The beginning of industrial development in Ústí nad Labem dates back to the second half of the 19th century. The town became an important centre of food industry and an important transport junction. It was probably also the reason for the Allies bombing at the end of the 2nd World War in April 1945. One fifth of the city was razed to the ground. A tower of a significant late-Gothic monument – the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, at that time departed almost two metres from its axis. So the town of Ústí has its Leaning Tower until now.
The postwar fate of the town was not easy, either. After the departure of the German people new residents came to the town. Proximity of the extensive brown coal mining, chemical and gas industry, it all meant abundant job opportunities but also harmful effects on environment and health of the people. November 1989 brought Ústí nad Labem a new hope for the future.
The Ore Mountains surround the city boundary on the northwest and sandstone walls Tiské stěny are increasingly popular place for rest and sport activities. Surrounding areas are rich in various natural and historical monuments.
Also the history of the congregation of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren (ECCB) is associated with the fate of the town. As in Teplice and in Louny, the beginnings of life of the Czech Protestants are connected with a congregation of the Reformed Church in Krabčice. In 1905 a preaching station in Krásné Březno was established, in 1919 it is already a part of the ECCB in Ústí nad Labem. During the war, the preaching station was however closed down and only on 1st August 1947 a congregation was established. As in other places in northern and western border areas, after the 2nd World War the new residents came as well to Ústí congregation. The members of the congregation received a spacious villa in Dvořák Street. The church after the German Evangelical Church fell to the Czechoslovak Hussite Church (CHC) but it is however used by both churches. The history of the church is also interesting. It is a Neo-Romanesque Church of Apostle Paul, built of face work (one of the red churches) in today’s Roosevelt Street designed by architect Zeissig from Leipzig in the years 1904–1906. It is reported that the vault of the church was at that time the highest in Bohemia and that the ferroconcrete prefabricated parts were used for the first time. Worth mentioning is also a valuable organ made by Eule company in Bautzen. Worship space serves in its original form until now.
A preaching station in Trmice belongs to the congregation in Ústí nad Labem. Local Church of Jesus was built in the years 1905–1907 in a Neo-Romanesque-Gothic style. A special feature is the location of a house of prayer on the first floor.