Experiencing Germany

No German city lies further to the east than Görlitz, yet at the same time, it is at the heart of an integrating continent. The symbolic and historical city on the River Neisse was divided after the Second World War to form the German city of Görlitz and the Polish city of Zgorzelec. Today, the two parts of the city are seeking new, common avenues as the European City of Görlitz/Zgorzelec.

Görlitz, Germany’s most easterly city, is one of the most beautiful: The town centre consists of a unique ensemble of houses in the architectural styles of the past 500 years – Late Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Gründerzeit (1871-73) and Jugendstil. The city has more than 3,500 protected buildings and they form the largest connected area of monuments anywhere in Germany.

Turbulent history

Görlitz became a major trading city in the late Middle Ages, and it was the crossroads of two major trade routes – the Via Regia, which led from Spain to Russia, and the Amber Road, connecting the Baltic Sea and Bohemia. The houses on the Untermarkt are impressive monuments to the prosperity of this period.

Wars for domination in Europe – such as the Thirty Years’ War and the Napoleonic invasions – brought the city’s first blossoming to an end.

From the 19th century onwards, Görlitz was part of Prussia and rose to become the economic, political and intellectual centre of Upper Lusatia. The magnificent historicist and Jugendstil residential quarters date back to this second Golden Age.

A city divided

"The Second World War changed everything. While the city remained largelyundamaged, it was torn apart in 1945 by the Potsdam Agreement, which placedthe territories east of the Oder-Neisse Line under Polish or Sovietadministration".

The battle against decay

In 1990, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Görlitz was falling into decay because its valuable historical buildings had not been well maintained during the GDR era. In the 70s, there were even plans to tear down the entire city centre for safety reasons.

A costly restoration programme, whose supporters include an anonymous donor who has given millions to the project, has restored the city to its much of its former glory in recent years. Two thirds of the historical buildings have already been restored, and the only indication of their previous dilapidated state is to be found in a few side streets.

It is a different picture in the Polish town of Zgorzelec on the opposite bank of the Neisse. Here, one can still imagine how Görlitz looked before reunification.

A mediator, even in hard times

Yet the new glory of the German part of the city cannot outshine its serious structural problems. With an unemployment rate of more than 20 per cent, it is practically impossible to prevent young people leaving the city. The city’s population has fallen by 15 per cent since 1990 to just over 60,000. The two halves of the city have to contend with the problems of mutual distrust and prejudice.

However, the very fact that the city’s past and present are not without their problems may make the twin city a mediator between East and West in a Europe that is in the process of integration.

In 1998, the unequal sisters were given the title of "European City of Görlitz/Zgorzelec" and they have been working together on the common vision of "One City– Two Nations ". Yet their quest continues to find a cross-border identity, to bridge the gulf between them, and to overcome social and cultural barriers. Yet there are many reasons to be optimistic about the future. The most symbolic of these is probably the planned reconstruction of the old city bridge between Görlitz and Zgorzelec which was destroyed in 1945.