European Heritage Day - Gothic
by german_eagle
Most of the merchant's townhouses in Görlitz remained their (late) Gothic structure - this is what Görlitz is famous for (among other facts :-)). But only few of them are always open. So it was yet more fascinating for me to explore some of the usually closed examples.
One of them is the building Peterstrasse 8 - now the four-star Hotel Tuchmacher. The house was built 1525 in early Renaissance style (portal, painted wooden ceilings etc.) but the former big central hall has still its late Gothic - and very special - vaulted ceiling. It is very similar to the famous ceiling in Prague's castle Hradschin (Hradcany) - the ceiling in the Wladyslaw Hall.
Other examples especially at the Untermarkt square, Brüderstrasse and other houses Peterstrasse.
if you try sometimes, you get what you need
by richiecdisc
The ride there was lovely as we passed both pastoral scenes and medieval towns that proved Saxony every bit as scenic as it’s more famous German counterparts. On arrival, we decided to make a pit stop for a snack much needed by not only Sandy and Dave but also my heightened nausea brought about by the winding if pretty ride there. After refueling, we set out to explore what became immediately apparent as a charming and quite impressively historical town. An ancient church that remained not only intact but nearly in its original state was a particular favorite and with each turn we discovered one beautiful building after another. On crossing a small bridge, we found the Polish border and an incredible view of the city with the river dividing the two countries in the forefront.
We stopped again for lunch and found a cozy and quaint place serving up quite good meals, and though they even had a beer I’d never heard of, I decided to go for a non-alcoholic beverage as my cohorts were doing. I’d had enough the night before and besides, I was learning a good lesson today about the virtues of not always trying to get what you want. But indeed, finding what you need is well within your grasp if you trust others to sometimes lead you there.
European Heritage Day - Art Nouveau
by german_eagle
Very high on my list of objects for the visit at European Heritage Day ranked the apartment houses built in Art Nouveau style.
Görlitz has numerous excellent (and perfectly preserved) examples of townhouses (apartment houses) of this style. They are usually not accessible inside - unlike the department store or Strassburg passage - but on that special day some of them are open to visitors.
In 2004 I was able to see some beautiful apartments in the apartment building Joliot-Curie-Strasse 4 (pictures). It was built 1903/04 by a retired man from Greifenberg who planned to move to Görlitz. The architecture is still related to Neo-Renaissance, but the facade is decorated with Art Nouveau elements. There are beautiful paintings and stained glass windows in the staircase (picture), in the apartments I saw lovely stucco works, wooden panels, doors with stained glass windows etc.
Liegnitzer Bombe
by Kathrin_E
Liegnitzer Bomben are a traditional - hm what to call it, pastry maybe - from Silesia. They originate from Liegnitz, now Legnica/Poland, but are most popular in the eastern part of Saxony nowadays.
They consist of a very rich dark gingerbread dough with honey, marzipan, almonds, raisins, cherries, orange juice, orangeat, hidden under a coat of dark chocolate icing. Best, buy them from a bakery where they make their own. They come in various sizes (from a child's to a big man's fist) and are sold by weight. Don't underestimate them, they are absolutely tasty but really filling. A larger one feeds a family of three or four, small as it may look.
Beware, they sell bombs at the Christmas market...
When I bought mine on the market I got into a funny little 'situation' because there were two policemen sipping their coffee next to me at the booth. We had an amusing discussion about them having to observe me as someone who buys bombs. - You remember that media, especially abroad, caused lots of panic about alleged terror threats at German Christmas markets in December 2010. Police were present on the markets because of that. (I am grateful that nothing happened and we can joke about it now.)
Climate in Görlitz
by Leipzig
There is no special rainy season
Avg. Temp. in Spring: max.: 6 – 17°C ( 43 - 62°F ); min: -1 - 7°C ( 30 - 45°F )
Avg. Temp. in Summer: max.: 20 – 22°C ( 68 - 73°F ); min: 10 - 12°C ( 50 - 53°F )
Avg. Temp. in Autumn: max.: 6 – 18°C ( 43 - 64°F); min: 1 - 8°C ( 34 – 47°F )
Avg. Temp. in Winter: max.: 0 – 2°C ( 32 - 36°F); min: -5 - 0°C ( 23 - 32°F )
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Chapel of the Cross
View from St Peter's
Church of St Peter and Paul
Restoration works on the stucco ceilings
