"Gorlitz - on the way to somewhere" Top 5 Page for this destination Görlitz by iandsmith

Görlitz Travel Guide: 270 reviews and 959 photos

Gorlitz - a past with a future

I arrived in this town courtesy of VT. Somewhere along the line I'd been looking at Richiecdisc's pages and it attracted my attention. Then I went to German eagle's excellent pages.
Here is the type of place where I could get boasting rights since no-one I know had been there and, not only that, no-one I know had even heard of it.
Would it meet my limited expectations? What was its history? Why did it even exist in the first place?

A documented past

Historic town art from the restaurant I ate at

In 1071, someone wrote something somewhere about Gorlitz. This means it has a documented history of nearly 1,000 years.
In the town itself you can trace much of that history, certainly from the 14th century, as many of the buildings are in a good state of preservation and they plan to keep them that way.
You can trace how it became part of the Upper Lasatian Six City League in 1346 due to its prosperity as a trading town based on cloth.
All the way through the dissolution of the League in 1815 and the city's partition after WWII. It's all there, come and see for yourself.
Its location on the most direct route from Paris to Russia didn't hurt it either, but that has a new twist, with the borders about to be free again it may well open the place up to a mini boom in tourism.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Good history, plenty to see, few tourists
Cons:Rubbish in the river
In a nutshell:Worth a visit if you're in the area, it won't disappoint

Last visit to Görlitz: Mar 2007
Intro Updated Apr 23, 2007
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Reviews (48)

Not only interesting but beautiful - Görlitz

Story of the holes Things to Do (47)

At the top of these doorways on the sides are two holes. These holes immediately identify these places as having been... more travel advice

The grand parade Things to Do (47)

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Post Office Things to Do (47)

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A licence to brew Things to Do (47)

The bright acanthus leaf paintings on the outside wall have a history going back to 1680, the date when the original was... more travel advice

Hotels (1)
Baroque bedrooms

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Comments (10)

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BruceDunning Jul 26, 2010 at 12:25 PM

I did visit the rest of your pictures and comments. All are very helpful and the architecture here is fabulous. Great works you presented
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Trekki Jun 29, 2008 at 2:30 PM

My god I am stunned!! What a most beautiful town Görlitz is! And I love again your eye for the details and the right light settings - it was an amazing journey I took today and makes me want to go there immediately :-))
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magor65 Apr 10, 2008 at 12:22 PM

Excellently written tips. Guess what - I've never thought Gorlitz/ Zgorzelec worth a visit - how mistaken I was. I must make up for it as soon as possible - it's just a couple of hours from my home.
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yumyum Feb 3, 2008 at 11:40 AM

I've seen this town on a TV documentary showing the Polish side too. Would be nice to visit one day, although it's a bit off the beaten track to reach.
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bijo69 May 23, 2007 at 3:45 AM

Interesting observations Ian. Never ever considered to visit Görlitz myself, but it looks quite nice from your page.
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tiabunna May 8, 2007 at 4:39 AM

Fascinating to see the east/west differences! Still, some very impressive buildings on both sides - and being able to cross borders with just a bridge!! (Oh, and a passport).
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deecat May 4, 2007 at 6:11 PM

Love your diary-style narrative. Well presented to educate the reader and to help the traveler. Beautiful architecture. Amazing detail that I find interesting. Thanks for such quality work, Ian.
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richiecdisc May 3, 2007 at 3:10 PM

Nice to get a report on the hotel there as my in-laws would kill me if I spent the night away from them so close to "home!" Germans love those soft feather pillows but must say I've never gotten used to them either. I'll be back for more soon.
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aussiejen Apr 24, 2007 at 5:07 AM

You have been busy since the weekend! Love your photos :)
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christine.j Apr 23, 2007 at 8:59 AM

A very interesting page about the Easternmost city of Germany. I'm glad I was able to help you . German and Polish students cross the border regularly to find out the best and cheapest internet hot spots, that's the new Europe for me!