Görlitz combines a historic cityscape with churches, museums, film history and routes along the Neisse. The historic Old Town contains around 4,000 architectural monuments. When planning your trip, you can therefore choose a focus: explore architecture and urban history, add a museum visit or combine the city with a bike ride. The following places and activities offer concrete points of reference to help you decide which side of Görlitz you would like to get to know better.
Old Town, churches and architectural history
The historic Old Town of Görlitz is one of the best-preserved ensembles in Central Europe. Untermarkt is considered its historic heart; burgher houses from the Renaissance and Baroque periods define its surroundings. St. Peter’s Church is also one of the city’s distinctive landmarks: its twin towers stand out clearly against the skyline. It is also Saxony’s largest hall church and a masterpiece of Gothic architecture.
Another distinctive complex is the Holy Sepulchre, a replica of the holy sites of Jerusalem and the oldest surviving structure of its kind north of the Alps. Built between 1481 and 1504, the complex includes the Chapel of the Sepulchre, the Chapel of the Anointing and the Adam Chapel. Görlitz owes its wealth, still visible today, and its exceptional splendour in part to the historic Via Regia: this European trade route once connected Thuringia and Saxony in the west with Silesia, Bohemia and Poland in the east.
Museums with a range of themes
The Schönhof is the main building of the Silesian Museum in Görlitz and one of the oldest Renaissance buildings north of the Alps. After a city fire, it was rebuilt in the Renaissance style from 1526 onwards. The museum presents nine centuries of Silesian history, with history and culture covered across 2,000 square metres. The Kaisertrutz focuses on a different time span: 14,000 years of cultural history, complemented by special exhibitions and a modern gallery.
Visitors interested in the city’s defences and the history of its tower keepers will find these subjects at Reichenbach Tower, which also has a viewing point. This offers different ways to explore the past: Silesian history in the museum, broader cultural history at the Kaisertrutz and the city’s defences in the tower.
The organ, film history and natural history
St. Peter’s Church is home to the Sun Organ, with 17 sun-shaped groups of pipes. Built by Eugenio Casparini towards the end of the 17th century, it can imitate birdsong, including the calls of cuckoos and nightingales. This adds a distinctive musical detail to the church’s architectural significance.
Film history is also part of Görlitz: more than 100 film productions have been made here since the 1950s. The “Walk of Görliwood®” takes you individually from one filming location to another throughout the city using the free SmartGuide app. Check in advance whether the app is available.
At the Senckenberg Museum of Natural History, the exhibits range from the Lusatia region to a tropical coral reef. The vivarium displays around 70 animal species in twelve elaborately designed habitat tanks covering 100 square metres. A live animal feeding demonstration takes place in the live animal area at 4 pm on the first Thursday of every month; admission is included in the museum ticket. Check the current calendar before your visit.
Cycling along the Neisse
A cycling route runs from Görlitz’s Old Town Bridge along the Neisse to Hagenwerder, then continues to Lake Berzdorf. The lake is a recreational destination offering water sports, beaches and trails for hiking and cycling. To start the route near the bridge, take tram line 1 or 2 to Jägerkaserne, then walk for about ten minutes. Check current traffic information before setting off.
Culinary connections
Görlitz’s traditional dishes draw on influences from Silesian, Saxon and Polish cuisine. Silesian Heaven is a distinctive dish of Silesian cuisine. These culinary connections add another perspective to the architectural and historical themes, reflecting the influences that come together in Görlitz.
Discover more destinations: Beiersdorf, Schöpstal, Markersdorf, Weißwasser/Oberlausitz, Herrnhut, Mittelherwigsdorf, Oybin, Großhennersdorf.
Go to the higher-level travel overview: Görlitz.
