Walk the Bridge to Poland
by Kathrin_E
Görlitz and Zgorzelec - in former times this was one town on both banks of the river. When the Neiße became the border between Germany and Poland in 1945 it was divided and the halves went separate ways.
Nowadays the two towns are cooperating in many ways. They even applied together for European Cultural Capital 2010 and had good chances. They were one of the two last of Germany's ten candidates but in the end lost to Essen.
In 2004 the new pedestrian and cyclist bridge between the town centres was opened. Now it is an easy walk from Germany to Poland and vice versa. Do the walk, and enjoy the beautiful panorama of old Görlitz from the Polish river bank. To me as a West German who grew up in times of Cold War and Iron Curtain, the Neiße was as far away as the moon. To be able to walk across the bridge without passport, visa, controls and restrictions is an amazing feeling. So much has changed for the better in the last 20 years. We had the dream but nobody seriously thought it would ever come true. Since 1989, it has...
Geography: Easternmost Point in Germany and CET
by Kathrin_E
Görlitz is the easternmost point in the Federal Republic of Germany. The Polish border follows the rivers of Oder and Neiße and here the Neiße has its farthest bend to the East.
Better not discuss this matter with right-wing nationalists, though. There were times when the German borders extended much, much further East. Some ultras still consider landscapes like Silesia, Pomerania, and Eastern Prussia part of “Germany”. However, the armistice of 1945 and the following treaties declared the line along Oder and Neiße rivers the Eastern border of Germany. Accepting this border and abandoning all further claims has been an essential part of the political process that lead to peace in Europe, and a friendly coexistence between Germany and its Eastern neighbours. Times have changed, for which we can be grateful.
Görlitz is located right on the meridian at 15° longitude. This is the middle of the Central European timezone.
European Heritage Day - 19th century architecture
by german_eagle
A little older than Art Nouveau art/architecture are the townhouses which were built in the 19th century. They usually quote architecture styles of previous centuries, such as Renaissance and Baroque (which are the most popular styles).
I stumbled by chance into one of those beautiful apartment houses (Blumenstrasse). The entrance hall and the staircase were accessible - absolutely amazing, see the picture.
Another object open to visitors was the former "Ständehaus" (a sort of parliament building), now a seniors residence. I joined a very interesting guided tour. We could see the entrance hall, the staircase and the big hall. Very beautiful again, inside late-classicistic style (the big hall renovated in 1900 in Art Nouveau style) and a sort of neo-gothic (castle-like) style from outside. Beside the architecture it was fascinating to experience the heartily, warm atmosphere in the seniors residence.
German Shepherds fom Irin Hof in Görlitz
by Kuznetsov_Sergey
It was the first trip to Germany for our young dogs Zarina and Zharden fom Irin Hof. Görlitz was the first German city for them. It was their first walking along the city and they fit to its medieval buildings and houses well. So we have been taking very pleasant photos and videos with our dogs while exploring the city on foot.
When being at home in Troitskoye we like to watch the videos and show them to our dogs, haha! Zarina and Zharden, do you remember those exciting days in Görlitz? Yes, they answer, Görlitz will stay in our memory forever!
You can watch my 1 min 36 sec HD Video Görlitz Sachsen German Shepherds fom Irin Hof out of my Youtube channel.
Tag der offenen Sanierungstür
by german_eagle
This quite hard to understand tip title refers to a day in June - usually the third Sunday that month - when the owners of recently restored (or almost completed) townhouses in Görlitz open the doors for visitors, mostly with the goal of renting in the back of their mind. Sometimes buildings that are privately owned or owned by the city join in this event, looking for potential investors.
I visited this event twice so far. Highlights and disappointments are close to each other. For example, in 2010 I was able to see an amazing, almost completely restored townhouse at Weberstraße and the landmark building Untermarkt 25, which is in very poor condition - but you could see the great potential. I could also see the new Youth hostel which will have its home right in the old town. Very nice construction, using and preserving old parts of the building.
On the other hand, the owner of a house at Kränzelstraße invited visitors despite having just begun restoration. And it was clearly visible he would not treat the building properly - too much cleared out and replaced by new structures.
Anyway, it is always fun to mingle with the locals, listen to their stories of old times and chatting with them.
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Station of the Way of the Cross
Altstadtbrücke in winter
Church of St Peter and Paul
The balcony with Justitia
