[6] Bielawa lies in the central part of Lower Silesia, along the Bielawica stream in the Owl Mountains region.

The town covers an area in excess of 36 square kilometres (14 sq mi).

Bielawa lies at an altitude range of 280 and 964 m above sea level, in the Owl Mountains.

The oldest known mention of Bielawa dates back to 1288, when it was part of fragmented Piast-ruled Poland.

At its center is the 19th-century Neo-Gothic Church of the Assumption with a 101 m tall tower, the third tallest in Poland.