Görlitz is Germany's easternmost town, situated across the Neiße River from its Polish sister city of Zgorzelec. It is very well preserved and survived the Second World War more or less intact. A lot of money was spent in the 1990s to restore the city's old town. It is located on the rail and autobahn routes from Dresden to Wrocław, Poland. The town has often been used as the setting for films (especially those set during and before World War II). Valkyrie and The Grand Budapest Hotel are two of the more well-known examples. Görlitz is also the easternmost point of Germany and as chance would have it the 15th meridian East, which defines Central European standard time runs through town. So large parts of Europe could be described as being on "Görlitz time".
Görlitz, being the largest city in Germany not damaged during the war, has a medieval, baroque and renaissance old town, surrounded by a belt of 19th century tenements, villas and industrial areas, which stretches across the Neiße to what was East Görlitz, now Zgorzelec in Poland. Only the far outskirts have newer buildings. Görlitz has served as a backdrop for several movies (set in pre 1945 Germany) since 1990 where its historic buildings stand in for other (now destroyed and rebuilt) German cities. The film boom has earned the town the nickname of "Görliwood" in the press and if you are lucky you might happen upon a film being shot.
After German unification most of the buildings were renovated. This makes Görlitz a unique heritage city with several thousands of listed buildings. Simply stroll around the town and enjoy the atmosphere.
- St. Peter and Paul Church. A spectacular Gothic church from the end of 15th century.
- Schönof - One example of this rich architectural heritage, the Schönof is one the oldest civic renaissance buildings in Germany.
- The marker of the 15th meridian (which defines the Central European time)
St. Peter and Paul Church. A spectacular Gothic church from the end of 15th century.
Schönof - One example of this rich architectural heritage, the Schönof is one the oldest civic renaissance buildings in Germany.
- Visit the Silesia Museum - a museum dedicated to the history of Silesia.
- Walk along the Neisse (pol. Nysa) river bank and enjoy the view of the older buildings and the abundant nature.
- Tour the cathedral and the main street in the Old Town.
- Take a stroll across the Neisse River into Poland using the new pedestrian footbridge and get a different perspective of the old town from a distance.
- Walk up the Landeskrone Mountain. Landeskrone is roughly 200 m above city level, and the walk up is about one hour from the tram station in Biesnitz (tram-line #2 from city centre). Nice weather provided it makes for a good afternoon stroll.
- visit the new lake on the southern limits of town. This lake has been made in the recent years to rehabilitate an open-pit coal mine, that has been closed in the early 1990s.
- Souvenirs from various Silesian themed souvenir shops in the old town. You will frequently find porcelain with a distinctive pattern. This porcelain is known as "Bunzlauer Keramik" (ceramika bolesławiecka), named after the German name of the city Bolesławiec in Poland.
- Antiquarian booksellers in the Old Town always have nice bargains. The number of foreign-language books is limited, though.
- Bring a bottle of the local beer. It is called Landskron, after the mountain close by. It is (by virtue of Görlitz being Germany's easternmost town) Germany's easternmost brewery.
There are some very nice restaurants in the Old Town. Compared to bigger cities like Dresden or Berlin, eating out in Görlitz is rather cheap. The cuisine served, is mostly the local Saxonian or Silesian cuisine, which traditionally involves meat, gravy and potatoes. Try a Silesian dish called 'Silesian Kingdom of Heaven' ('Schlesisches Himmelreich'), a dish of pork cooked in plum gravy.
Some nice restaurants in the Old Town:
- Vierradenmühle, Hotherstraße 20, +49 3581 406661.
- Zur Goldenen Sonne, Demianiplatz 54.
- Zum Nachtschmied, Obermarkt 18, +49 3581 411657.
- Zum Flyns, Langenstraße 1, +49 3581 400697.
Vierradenmühle, Hotherstraße 20, +49 3581 406661.
Zur Goldenen Sonne, Demianiplatz 54.
Zum Nachtschmied, Obermarkt 18, +49 3581 411657.
Zum Flyns, Langenstraße 1, +49 3581 400697.
Germany is known for its long tradition of brewing beer, and Görlitz and eastern Saxony is no exception. There is a brewery in Görlitz, called the Landskron Brauerei (ultimately owned by Carlsberg). Eibau is another local brewery, about 20 km away.
The main product of the Landskron Brewery is a pilsner. Pilsner can be compared to what is known as lager outside of Germany, however, this type is stronger and has a more distinctive hop taste.
The brewery also produces seasonal beers, for example "Maibock", a beer that is only sold in spring and is stronger than normal pilsners. Other pilsners well known in the area are Radeberger or Freiberger, which are from breweries close to Dresden.
The Eibau brewery some 20 km from Görlitz is best known for its dark beer. Dark beers are different from pilsners: they use roasted malt which gives the beer a deep, dark colour and a distinctive taste.
Another dark beer well known in the area is from the Köstritzer brewery, which is located in Thuringia, some 400 km west of Görlitz.