SAXONY. STATE OF THE ARTS

GERMANY'S FINEST TRAVEL DESTINATION

Picture-book of architecture

Just 55,000 inhabitants, but 3,500 listed monuments: such a valuable historical ensemble in Germany can only be found in Görlitz. The survival of this glory is thanks to the ups and downs in Görlitz’s history. After a long economic heyday as a major trading center between east and west, the city lost its importance and did not flourish again until the second half of the 19th century. The result, alongside the medieval city core characterized by the unique “hall houses” of the drapers and the largest stock of Renaissance buildings in Germany, was an expansion of the city with magnificent Wilhelminian and Art Nouveau buildings.

A winning movie location

It is impossible not to be impressed by the beauty of Görlitz. Even Hollywood is aware of this: over the last few years, "Görliwood" has been home to such productions as the Academy Award winning movies “The Reader” and "The Grand Budapest Hotel" or the Jackie Chan version of “Around the World in 80 Days”. Who would have thought that Paris and New York are in Saxony? Since movies are shot frequently, visitors of Görlitz may encounter the making of a new blockbuster in the cobble-stoned streets of the town. A self-guided walk leads to all major locations in Görlitz used in these movies.

Where Europe grows together

The new eastern border of Germany after World War II divided Görlitz on the Neisse River, and pushed the city into a peripheral position. It was fortunate that the planned widespread demolition of the old town in GDR times failed, due to lack of money. Görlitz is now back to life in all its glory. And while all major sights are in the German part of town, it is worth crossing one of the bridges into the Polish part called Zgorzelec today. After the collapse of Communism in Europe, both halves of the town have started growing together again. So Görlitz is a true German-Polish and European experience.

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Just 45 minutes away from Görlitz is another place which has been divided between Germany and Poland since 1945. In the last twenty years, the famous landscape park created by Count Pückler in the 19th century has been revitalized. These efforts were rewarded by UNESCO which included the park into its World Heritage List. In the castle, an exhibition sheds light on the life of Pückler, a jack of all trades, a ladies’ man and a most successful travel writer in his time.