Görlitz Historical background
by Kuznetsov_Sergey
Görlitz is first recorded back in 1071. The city grew at the intersection of Europe’s oldest and most important trade routes. One of them was the "Via Regia", which connected Kiev to Santiago de Compostela. Over the centuries, Görlitz became an influential centre of trade and science.
It is located opposite the Polish town of Zgorzelec, which was a part of Görlitz until 1945. Görlitz is the largest city in the Silesian part of the current Germany.
In contrast to most other German cities it wasn’t destroyed during World War II because no bombs fell on Görlitz during WWII (only on its bridge).
You can watch my high resolution photo of Görlitz on the Google Earth according to the following coordinates 51° 9' 17.86" N 14° 59' 7.96" E or on my Google Earth Panoramio Görlitz from Reichenbacher Turm 1.
Polish part of Görlitz-Zgorzelec
by Kuznetsov_Sergey
The redrawing of boundaries in 1945 — in particular the relocation of the German-Polish border to the Oder-Neiße line — divided the town. The right bank became part of Poland and was named Zgorzelec in 1948 while the main portion became part of the German land of Saxony.
Today Görlitz and Zgorzelec are two cities on opposite banks of the river.
Since the fall of communism in 1989 Zgorzelec and Görlitz have developed a close political relationship. Two of the numerous bridges over the Neisse River that had been blown up by retreating German forces in World War II have been rebuilt, reconnecting the two towns with one bus line.
You can watch my high resolution photo of Görlitz on the Google Earth according to the following coordinates 51° 9' 29.93" N 14° 59' 35.85" E or on my Google Earth Panoramio View from Görlitz on Zgorzelec.
Neiße River
by Kuznetsov_Sergey
The Lusatian Görlitz is a 250 km long river. The river has its source in the Jizera Mountains near Nová Ves nad Nisou, Czech Republic, reaching Poland and Germany at Zittau and later forms the Polish-German border on a length of about 200 km. It is a left tributary of the Oder River.
Since the river runs through the historic region of Lusatia, the adjective before the name of the river Neiße differentiates this particular river from the Glatzer Neisse (Nysa Klodzka) and the small Nysa Szalona in Silesia.
According to the 1945 Potsdam Agreement it became the Polish western border with Germany as a result of World War II (Oder- Neiße line) and thus the most notable of the three rivers named Neiße/Nysa. It is therefore often simply called Neiße.
You can watch my high resolution photo of Görlitz on the Google Earth according to the following coordinates 51° 9' 27.63" N 14° 59' 39.48" E or on my Google Earth Panoramio Neiße.
Christkindelmarkt - Christmas Market
by Kathrin_E
Görlitz's Christmas market is short, so if you want to experience it, plan accordingly. The market takes place for some 10 days from the second to the third Advent weekend.
In Silesia it is not Father Christmas or Santa Claus who brings the gifts on Christmas Eve but the Christ Child (Christkindel). The Christkindel is not baby Jesus, it is rather an angel-like figure in a long white dress, although without wings. The Christkindel, impersonated by a girl, makes an appearance on the market every afternoon. On St Nicholas Day (Dec 6) you'll also meet Sankt Nikolaus himself, not in Coca-Cola Santa Claus outfit but dressed as what he really was, a Bishop.
The market in Görlitz is not very big, but it is perhaps the most atmospheric and romantic I have ever visited. Do you know those UNICEF cards with naive paintings of cutie town vedoutes, with little market stalls shattered over a wide square in the snow and old houses around, all decorated and pretty? Well, this is what Görlitz Christmas market looks and feels like.
The stalls are little wooden huts all over both parts of Untermarkt and adjacent Brüderstraße. There is lots of space between them, hence the market never feels crowded.
Most stalls are run by local artisans and shops. The products on offer involve some Silesian traditions.
The little stage has some musical performances in the afternoons and evenings. My favourite was the singalong a local choir did. They had prepared photocopied booklets with the lyrics of some two dozen Christmas songs that were distributed, and a large crowd gathered round the stage singing with them.
In case anyone wonders where I caught the first two photos with those birds-eye views from: These were taken through the windows of the oriel of Schönhof, which you enter during a visit to the Silesian museum (see things to do tips).
More photos in this travelogue.
Christkindelmarkt
by german_eagle
The Christmas market in Görlitz is named "Christkindelmarkt", unlike most of the others in Saxony. Reason is that Görlitz has been part of Silesia for a long time and that's how they're called there.
As the town is located right between Saxony and Silesia it is influenced by both cultures and this shows on the Christkindelmarkt, too. Of course you'll see the wooden items from the Erzgebirge, like pyramids, smokers etc. but you'll also see many Silesian stuff - like the pottery, special food etc. I found the ambience was wonderful. The Christkindelmarkt takes place at Untermarkt square and Brüderstrasse, surrounded by historic architecture. Unfortunately it opens on 2nd and closes on 3rd Advent - a short time :(
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Chapel of the Unction and Sepulchre
View from the bridge
Church of St Peter and Paul
Balcony and Untermarkt
