Pila is located on the Lomnický Creek in the outskirts of Slavkovský les Mts. North of the village lies Karlovy Vary airport, west the Stanovice Dam. From 1597, a mill stood in the valley of the Lomnický creek in the Bečov manor, whose existence is in written documented from 1620. According to the tax rule in 1654, six people including three charcoal burners were reported in Pila, which belonged to the Land of Háje (former Funkštejn). During the estate of Dominik Kaunitz, the village was expanded. In 1840, consisted of 92 houses and had 579 inhabitants. In 1939, there lived 835 people in Pila. Now there are less than 500 person.
Fig.: Pila (German: Schneidmühl) 100 years ago
South of Pila, iron ore were mined in 1880. Much more important was extraction of the coal seam. The first coal findings were done probably by monks of the Teplá Monastery in the 18th century. The first mining licenses began to allocate in the middle of next century. Since the beginning of the 20th century the mines Josef-Jan (Josefi-Johanni) and Bituma operated on the deposit. A special feature of the coal seam is a high content of bituminous substances, known as lignite wax. Wax was used in the manufacture of cosmetics, oils, creams for footwear, record and chemical industries. From the rest of coal, briquettes were made. The wax fabric worked in the period 1910-1968, the briquettes plant in 1929-1965.
Fig.: The Bituma Mine in 1965
Fig.: The briquettes plant in 1965
In 2008, the village received a coat of arms which reminds the mining traditions.
Fig.: Municipal Coat of Arms