Zielona Góra

Poland

Zielona Góra (German: Grünberg), is the capital city of the Lubuskie voidodeship, in western Poland. It is famous as the wine capital of Poland as well as the northernmost wine growing region in Europe. Each year, a film festival takes place in the summer and in the fall an important wine festival, Winobranie.

Zielona Góra is a city in the historical region of Lower Silesia, which has a quite long and unusual history for a Polish city. It has been a big wine producer for a long time, and cultivation of grapes date back to the medieval times. The decline of its wine production started with the arrival of the railway, (when it was part of Germany) and it became quite cheap for Silesia to import wines from other wine producing regions. The industry changed its profile to produce other alcohols, such as sparkling wines, brandies, and others. Wine production finally came to an end with the coming of the communist era. The growing city absorbed the countryside, and the quality of wine produced here became disastrous, so people started buying other products, especially Hungarian and Bulgarian wines. The main wine producer went bankrupt in early '90s. The tradition however is triumphing once again with growing number of small wine producers in the Zielona Góra region, the revival of the tradition is encouraged by the city and region authorities. The local products can be bought during the annual wine festival in September.

Today Zielona Góra is a vibrant city full of young people because of its university. The city is also home to a couple of hi-tech companies. Even though it is a Silesian city, it is now the capital of the Lubuskie region. The city is also known for its cabarets (comical groups).

  • City Hall. Dating back to the 15th century.
  • Co-Cathedral of St. Jadwiga of Silesia, Mickiewicza 14, +48 68 320 24 70.
  • Palm House, Wrocławska 12. Tu-Th, Su: 10:00—22:00. F-Sa: 10:00—23:00. Closed on M. A greenhouse with a restaurant.
  • Wine Park. On a hill in the city centre with a nice view over the whole western part of the city.
  • Chapel in the Vineyards, Aliny. 12th century
  • Regional Museum, al. Niepodległości 15, +48 68 327 23 45. W-F: 11:00—17:00. Sa: 10:00—15:00. Su: 10:00—16:00. Hosting the Wine Museum and the Museum of Torture.
  • Botanical Garden, Botaniczna 50A, +48 601 902 290. Daily 09:00-19:00. Opened in 2007.

City Hall. Dating back to the 15th century.

Co-Cathedral of St. Jadwiga of Silesia, Mickiewicza 14, +48 68 320 24 70.

Palm House, Wrocławska 12. Tu-Th, Su: 10:00—22:00. F-Sa: 10:00—23:00. Closed on M. A greenhouse with a restaurant.

Wine Park. On a hill in the city centre with a nice view over the whole western part of the city.

Chapel in the Vineyards, Aliny. 12th century

Regional Museum, al. Niepodległości 15, +48 68 327 23 45. W-F: 11:00—17:00. Sa: 10:00—15:00. Su: 10:00—16:00. Hosting the Wine Museum and the Museum of Torture.

Botanical Garden, Botaniczna 50A, +48 601 902 290. Daily 09:00-19:00. Opened in 2007.

  • Zielona Góra Philharmonic, Plac Powstańców Wielkopolskich 10, +48 68 325 65 14. Music hall in the centre of Zielona Góra with many concerts. It is possible to buy tickets online.
  • Falubaz Zielona Góra, ‎ul. Wrocławska 69. If you're interested in the sport of Speedway (a type of motorcycle racing) then you can check out of one the best clubs in Poland. Matches usually on Sundays.

Zielona Góra Philharmonic, Plac Powstańców Wielkopolskich 10, +48 68 325 65 14. Music hall in the centre of Zielona Góra with many concerts. It is possible to buy tickets online.

Falubaz Zielona Góra, ‎ul. Wrocławska 69. If you're interested in the sport of Speedway (a type of motorcycle racing) then you can check out of one the best clubs in Poland. Matches usually on Sundays.

Change your money at one of the many foreign exchange spots in the city or in the supermarkets Auchan and Tesco. It is better not to withdraw money from your bank account via ATMs as they will probably charge you a high commission. Also, do bargain with the teller at the foreign exchange - you may get a better rate.

As Zielona Góra is a city with university and full of young people, it is (should be) quite easy to find a place to eat.

There are a variety of choices from cheap takeaways to luxurious restaurants. The majority of the restaurants are located in the city centre, specifically in the old town. A good choice in Zielona Góra are the pizzerias, easy to find and cheap.

  • Bar Mleczny Turysta, Bolesława Chrobrego 2 (In front of the train station, +48 68 327 23 00. M-F: 9:00—20:00. Sa-Su: 10:00—18:00. Particularly popular and inexpensive.
  • Jazzgot, al. Niepodległości 25, +48 600 217 021. M-Sa: 7:30—0:00. Su: 9:00—0:00.
  • Pierogarnia Po Byku, al. Wojska Polskiego 2, +48 783 333 033. Daily 11:00—23:00. F, Sa until 0:00. Su from 12:00. For Polish dumplings.
  • Pizzeria Gioconda, ul. Mariacka 5-7, +48 68 324 65 65. Daily 9:30—22:00. F, Sa until 23:00. Su from 10:30.
  • Palmiarnia, ul. Wrocławska 12a, +48 68 478 45 50. 12:00-21:00 Tu-F, 12:00-19:00 Sa, 12:00-20:00 Su. Biggest restaurant in the city situated on top of a vineyard hill. It's inside the city's famous "Palm House" glasshouse with tropical trees inside.

Bar Mleczny Turysta, Bolesława Chrobrego 2 (In front of the train station, +48 68 327 23 00. M-F: 9:00—20:00. Sa-Su: 10:00—18:00. Particularly popular and inexpensive.

Jazzgot, al. Niepodległości 25, +48 600 217 021. M-Sa: 7:30—0:00. Su: 9:00—0:00.

Pierogarnia Po Byku, al. Wojska Polskiego 2, +48 783 333 033. Daily 11:00—23:00. F, Sa until 0:00. Su from 12:00. For Polish dumplings.

Pizzeria Gioconda, ul. Mariacka 5-7, +48 68 324 65 65. Daily 9:30—22:00. F, Sa until 23:00. Su from 10:30.

Palmiarnia, ul. Wrocławska 12a, +48 68 478 45 50. 12:00-21:00 Tu-F, 12:00-19:00 Sa, 12:00-20:00 Su. Biggest restaurant in the city situated on top of a vineyard hill. It's inside the city's famous "Palm House" glasshouse with tropical trees inside.

As a wine centre, wine should be worth trying. However, local beers seem to be more popular.