# GÖRLITZ / ZGORZELEC: two nations one city



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

This city on the German-Polish border is located right here next to A4 motorway (A4 is designation in both in Germany and Poland which is quite symbolic too. Usually it's not the case).

I'll be honest I didn't see much of the Polish part of the city but even being on just one side you get the feeling that this is shared by two countries. 

It's a very beautiful city and I would highly recommend it to all who are driving in the area.

First of all the A4 Autobahn driving from my Thuringia, which was my previous destination, towards Poland and eventually Wroclaw


I did not plan to stop over at Goerlitz but by a complete accident recalled having heard of an interesting city on the German-Polish border and realised that it was just there. Here is the A4 exit to Goerlitz. Poland is 4km away


Narow streets of the Old town. Gorlitz has a lovely old town with numerous cafes and some very decent sightseeing


Old town with St.Peter and Paul Kirche in the distance


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## Chadoh25 (Dec 28, 2007)

Lovely! I must check it out when I get to Germany!


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Church of St.Peter and Paul


Views from the Church at street level


Poland . But don't worry, you can get to see similar stuff on the German side too


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Yes, this is the Polish side




I am now on the Polish side of the bride looking back to Germany 

IMG_9805 by 

Back to Germany again


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Untermarkt square


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Indeed very nice photos from this town; more please


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## markfos (Sep 14, 2012)

but the Polish side is not only like this, (hope you don't mind if so I will delete these pics)

a renovated part 










and a part under reconstruction

by agrest07


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## Saxonia (Aug 15, 2012)

Nearly all of the Altstadt is situated in the todays german part of the city. The polish side consists of the smaller and younger "Neissevorstadt" with the recently reconstructed "Töpfermarkt" and large Gründerzeit structures. I am very glad they also recontructed the Saxon post milestone  (Kursächsische Postmeilensäule). The view from the german side of the bridge wasn't very nice before.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

@markfos

thanks for the photos. Please post more if you have.

Of course I know the Polish side is not like this. I checked Google Street View as well. I just didn't have time to see more because I was on the way to Wroclaw and the day was nearing to the end.


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## markfos (Sep 14, 2012)

Pansori said:


> @markfos
> 
> thanks for the photos. Please post more if you have.


 
thanks,

Few more pics from the Polish side

by igorlan


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## markfos (Sep 14, 2012)

Polish side 

by agrest07

still under reconstruction




























by hugenot


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## El_Greco (Apr 1, 2005)

Looks like a nice place. Cool photos.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

More photos


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

Great pictures of an interesting city. Thank you for sharing, Pansori. kay:


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Last photos of Gorlitz that I have


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Some of the Socialist era apartment buildings. Actually I quite like this one


This is it from this small yet very beautiful and interesting city. I would highly recommend it for everyone passing nearby.


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## El_Greco (Apr 1, 2005)

Yeah that commie block is pretty cool. Interestingly there's similar looking buildings in Zanzibar (!) which were built by an East German company, I wonder if its the same guys.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

El_Greco said:


> Yeah that commie block is pretty cool. Interestingly there's similar looking buildings in Zanzibar (!) which were built by an East German company, I wonder if its the same guys.


Are there any photos of that Zanzibarean commieblock?


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## El_Greco (Apr 1, 2005)

Not quite the same but similar, built by DDR in the 60s and 70s - 

http://macuti.wordpress.com/2011/08/02/15-ostalgie-on-the-other-side-zanzibar-part-2/


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## fieldsofdreams (Sep 21, 2012)

First time going through yet another interesting and intriguing collection of yours, and I must say, cities that lie next to an international border really fascinate me because I want to see how one side of the city (let's say, in this case, Germany) differs from another (in this case, Poland)... and I must say, the German side has much more mid-rise structures (around five to six stories high) than its Polish counterpart (with tops of around three to four stories), and that the German side of Gorlitz has much more architectural designs and variety ingrained in its structures than the Polish side of the city (Zgorzelec). In addition, Zgorzelec has cobblestone streets, reminding me of a community built hundreds of years ago compared to Gorlitz, which has asphalt streets with street markings all over (mostly dashed lines), and while the streets of Zgorzelec may be narrower than its German counterpart, the number of structures facing the river (in this case, the boundary between Germany and Poland) seems to be plentiful (and more lights!) at night from the Polish side than the German side, which I find eccentric and beautiful at the same time. It's like, I would love to visit this place and say that I've visited both Poland and Germany in just one day!

Superb shots, especially the night snaps, my friend! Hope to see more of those soon from other towns and cities in Germany and other countries! :hug:


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## charliewong90 (Nov 24, 2009)

this is quite an interesting city, firstly, the buildings are architecturally beautiful both the old and the modern and secondly, it's occupied by two countries.


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## Autostädter (Nov 29, 2009)

fieldsofdreams said:


> the German side of Gorlitz has much more architectural designs and variety ingrained in its structures than the Polish side of the city (Zgorzelec)


At the time when the old buildings were erected there was no border so if there are significant differences in the architecture, there must be other explainations for this. It could be because back then the western part of a city was usually the richer one (because of the wind, which dragged the air pollution eastwards).


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## Saxonia (Aug 15, 2012)

As I said before, the original old town of Görlitz lies west of the Neisse, on the german side. The eastern, polish part mainly consists of Gründerzeit structures and the smaller, mainly destroyed Neissevorstadt which is recently under reconstruction.

Görlitz 1650


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## erbse (Nov 8, 2006)

Lovely photo tour Pansori! Even if it was some years ago, luckily the pics are still online.

Prussian pensioner's luxury of the late 19th century:



Streetline said:


> https://panoramastreetline.com/augustastrasse-historicism-goerlitz-germany-P13454
> *Görlitz (Saxony)*, the Augustastrasse[/URL]
> 
> Click for pic:
> https://panoramastreetline.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/goerlitz_augustastrasse_500.jpg


More such pictures: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1828813&page=2


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## tallmark (Oct 15, 2012)

fieldsofdreams said:


> First time going through yet another interesting and intriguing collection of yours, and I must say, cities that lie next to an international border really fascinate me because I want to see how one side of the city (let's say, in this case, Germany) differs from another (in this case, Poland)... and I must say, the German side has much more mid-rise structures (around five to six stories high) than its Polish counterpart (with tops of around three to four stories), and that the German side of Gorlitz has much more architectural designs and variety ingrained in its structures than the Polish side of the city (Zgorzelec). In addition, Zgorzelec has cobblestone streets, reminding me of a community built hundreds of years ago compared to Gorlitz, which has asphalt streets with street markings all over (mostly dashed lines), and while the streets of Zgorzelec may be narrower than its German counterpart, the number of structures facing the river (in this case, the boundary between Germany and Poland) seems to be plentiful (and more lights!) at night from the Polish side than the German side, which I find eccentric and beautiful at the same time. It's like, I would love to visit this place and say that I've visited both Poland and Germany in just one day!
> 
> Superb shots, especially the night snaps, my friend! Hope to see more of those soon from other towns and cities in Germany and other countries! :hug:


I like that too. But Goerlitz is the wrong example. The city was totally German and deep inside Germany until 1945 and the end of WWII. For 800 years, Germans built and rebuilt the town. So, the city now should be taken as a good example of LIVE AND LET LIVE --as the European should and now are doing under the ageas of EU.


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## tallmark (Oct 15, 2012)

Saxonia said:


> As I said before, the original old town of Görlitz lies west of the Neisse, on the german side. The eastern, polish part mainly consists of Gründerzeit structures and the smaller, mainly destroyed Neissevorstadt which is recently under reconstruction.
> 
> Görlitz 1650


"On the German side"?? This is pre-1945 etching. The entire town was German. There was no "Polish side" to it


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## SRC_100 (May 21, 2014)

fieldsofdreams said:


> In addition, Zgorzelec has cobblestone streets, reminding me of a community built hundreds of years ago compared to Gorlitz, which has asphalt streets with street markings all over (mostly dashed lines)


On both sides are cobblestone streets in the old part of the city as an architectural element, matching old or rebuilt tenement houses. In addition, the streets are asphalt on both sides of the "border"*.

* In fact, the border does not exist as a control point


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