Görlitz

File:Goerlitz Landeskrone 22.jpg (Sedło), a hill that was the site of the main stronghold of the Slavic Bieżuńczanie tribe in the Early Middle Ages]]

Slavs migrated into the area during the Early Middle Ages. The nearby Landeskrone ({{langx|hsb|link=no|Sedło}}) mountain, as Businc, is considered the main stronghold of the Bieżuńczanie tribe and Gorelic is said to mean a small village. Other references state the origin of the name Görlitz is the Slavic word for 'burned land',"Placenames of the World" by Adrian Room, McFarland Pub. 2003 page 140 referring to the technique used to clear land for settlement. Polish Zgorzelec and Czech Zhořelec have the same derivation.

In the Early Middle Ages, the area was inhabited by the Bieżuńczanie tribe,{{cite book|last=Bena|first=Waldemar|year=2006|title=Szlakiem grodzisk słowiańskich i średniowiecznych zamków|language=pl, de|location=Zgorzelec|pages=9–10}} one of the old Polish tribes.{{cite web|url=https://encyklopedia.interia.pl/historia/news-plemiona-polskie,nId,2084506|title=Plemiona polskie|website=Encyklopedia Internautica|access-date=18 September 2021|language=pl}} In the late 9th or 10th century, the Bieżuńczanie were subjugated by the Sorbian Milceni tribe, who bordered from the west,{{cite journal|last=Tyszkiewicz|first=Lech|year=1964|title=Zachodni sąsiedzi plemion śląskich|journal=Śląski Kwartalnik Historyczny Sobótka|publisher=Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich|location=Wrocław|language=pl|volume=XIX|issue=19|pages=16}} who in turn were subjugated in 990 by the Margraviate of Meissen, a frontier march of the Holy Roman Empire. The settlement was then conquered by Polish ruler Bolesław I the Brave in 1002 and formed part of Poland until 1031, after which the region fell back to the Margraviate of Meissen. In 1075 the village was assigned to the Duchy of Bohemia. Goreliz was first mentioned in a document from the King of Germany, and later Holy Roman Emperor, Henry IV in 1071. This document granted Görlitz to the religious Diocese of Meissen, then under Bishop Benno of Meissen. This document can now be found in the Saxony State Archives in Dresden.{{cite web|url=http://www.findcity.de/02826ca/?p=00000002|archive-url=https://archive.today/20070520015435/http://www.findcity.de/02826ca/?p=00000002|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 May 2007|title=Deutschlands Städte, Gemeinden und Kreise online - FindCity|work=findcity.de|access-date=7 April 2017}} In 1126–1131 Bohemian Duke Soběslav I erected a castle, one of several new castles on the Bohemian-Polish border. It may have been on the site of the present St Peter and Paul church. The date the town was founded is unknown but in the 13th century the village gradually became a town. Owing to its location on the Via Regia, an ancient and medieval trade route, the settlement prospered.

In 1319 it became part of the Duchy of Jawor of fragmented Poland,{{Cite book|last=Bogusławski|first=Wilhelm|title=Rys dziejów serbo-łużyckich|year=1861|location=Petersburg|page=142|language=pl}}{{cite book|last1=Orzechowski|first1=Kazimierz|last2=Przybytek|first2=Dariusz|last3=Ptak|first3=Marian|title=Dolny Śląsk. Podziały terytorialne od X do XX wieku|location=Wrocław|year=2008|language=pl|page=43|isbn=978-83-923255-5-0}} and Duke Henry I of Jawor confirmed the town's privileges.{{cite web|url=https://www.deutsche-biographie.de/pnd142400076.html#adbcontent|title=Heinrich I., Herzog von Schlesien|website=Deutsche-Biographie.de|access-date=31 October 2020|language=de}} Later on, the town fell back to Bohemia. From 1346 Görlitz was a wealthy member of the Lusatian League, which consisted of Bautzen, Görlitz, Kamenz, Lubań, Löbau and Zittau. Around 1348 a Jewish woman, Adasse, was made a citizen of the town.[https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2588800153/GVRL?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=ff9a0cc7 "Adasse (fl. 1348)."] In Dictionary of Women Worldwide: 25,000 Women Through the Ages, edited by Anne Commire and Deborah Klezmer, 11. Vol. 1. Detroit, MI: Yorkin Publications, 2007. Gale eBooks (accessed 20 July 2021). In 1352 during the reign of Polish King Casimir III the Great, Lusatian German colonists from Görlitz founded the town of Gorlice in southern Poland near Kraków. From 1377 to 1396 it was the capital of an eponymous duchy. In 1469, along with the Lusatian League, the town recognized the rule of King Matthias Corvinus, thus passing to Hungarian rule, and in 1490 it reverted to Bohemia then ruled by Vladislaus II of Hungary.{{Cite book|last=Köhler|first=Gustav|title=Der Bund der Sechsstädte in der Ober-Lausitz: Eine Jubelschrift|year=1846|publisher=G. Heinze & Comp.|location=Görlitz|language=de|page=30}}

File:Goerlitz 1575.jpg

The Protestant Reformation came to Görlitz in the early 1520s and by the last half of the 16th century, it and the surrounding vicinity, became almost completely Lutheran.

In 1623, during the Thirty Years' War, the town was captured and occupied alternately by Sweden and the Holy Roman Empire.{{cite book|author= |title=Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon, Band 8|year=1907|language=de|location=Leipzig|pages=138–139}} In 1635, the region of Upper Lusatia (including Görlitz) was ceded to the Electorate of Saxony. From 1639, the town was occupied by Sweden again, and then it was besieged by Imperial and Saxon forces in 1641. After the war it was part of the Electorate of Saxony, from 1697 within the Polish–Saxon personal union. One of two main routes connecting Warsaw and Dresden ran through the town in the 18th century and Kings Augustus II the Strong and Augustus III of Poland often travelled that route.{{cite web|url=http://www.dresden-warszawa.eu/pl/prolog/informacja-historyczna/|title=Informacja historyczna|website=Dresden-Warszawa|access-date=31 October 2020|language=pl}} Napoleon visited the town several times in 1807, 1812 and 1813.

After the Napoleonic Wars, the 1815 Congress of Vienna transferred the town from the Kingdom of Saxony to the Kingdom of Prussia. Görlitz was subsequently administered within the Province of Silesia and, after World War I, the Province of Lower Silesia, until 1945. During World War I an internment camp for Greek soldiers was located in present-day Zgorzelec, whilst 500 Greek officers lived in private quarters throughout the town.{{cite web|url=https://www.lr-online.de/lausitz/weisswasser/als-tausende-griechen-in-goerlitz-zuflucht-suchten-36825432.html|title=Als Tausende Griechen in Görlitz Zuflucht suchten|website=LR Online|date=8 October 2016|access-date=12 December 2020|language=de}} A burial ground for Greek soldiers was located in the local cemetery.

Shortly after the Nazi Party's rise to power, in March 1933, the SA established the Leschwitz concentration camp in Leschwitz (present-day district of Weinhübel).{{cite web|url=https://www.saechsische.de/plus/eine-schlichte-tafel-erinnert-an-das-unermessliche-leid-im-kz-leschwitz-2359268.html|title=Eine schlichte Tafel erinnert an das unermessliche Leid im KZ Leschwitz|website=saechsische.de|access-date=31 October 2020|language=de}} Political prisoners were held and tortured in the camp before it was dissolved in August 1933 and the prisoners were deported to other concentration camps. In 1936, during a nationwide Nazi campaign of changing of placenames, two present-day districts of Görlitz were renamed to erase traces of Slavic origin—Leschwitz to Weinhübel and Nikrisch to Hagenwerder.{{cite web|url=https://www.goerlitzer-anzeiger.de/goerlitz/verkehr/12219_strassensperrung.html|title=Straßensperrung|website=Görlitzer Anzeiger|access-date=12 December 2020|language=de}}{{cite web|url=https://www.goerlitzer-anzeiger.de/goerlitz/verkehr/11171_bruecke-in-hagenwerder-wird-komplett-erneuert.html|title=Brücke in Hagenwerder wird komplett erneuert|website=Görlitzer Anzeiger|access-date=31 October 2020|language=de}} On Kristallnacht in November 1938 an arson attack was carried out on the city's synagogue. However the building survived the attack without major damage because firefighters resisted the order not to extinguish the fire.{{Cite web|url=https://www.juedische-allgemeine.de/unsere-woche/jugendstil-ohne-juden/|title=Jugendstil ohne Juden|website=juedische-allgemeine.de|date=November 2020|language=de|access-date=21 November 2020}} It is the only synagogue in the present state of Saxony that survived Nazi rule.{{cite web|url=https://www.jta.org/2021/07/13/global/in-a-german-city-with-30-jews-a-restored-art-deco-synagogue-will-house-interfaith-efforts|title=In a German city with 30 Jews, a restored Art Deco synagogue will house interfaith efforts|website=Jewish Telegraphic Agency|author=Toby Alexrod|date=13 July 2021 |access-date=20 November 2021}} In the interwar period most of the Jews had left the city and their number dropped from 567 in 1925 to 134 in 1939.{{cite web |url=http://www.verwaltungsgeschichte.de/goerlitz.html|title=Stadt un Landkreis Görlitz|publisher=Verwaltungsgeschichte.de |access-date=26 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903050644/http://www.verwaltungsgeschichte.de/goerlitz.html|archive-date=3 September 2011|url-status=dead}} Many remaining Jews were then killed in the Holocaust during World War II.

File:Denkmal Biesnitzer Grund Goerlitz.JPG of Gross-Rosen in Biesnitz]]

During World War II, a Nazi prison was operated in the town, with four forced labour subcamps within the town limits and three in nearby villages.{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=1557|title=Gefängnis Görlitz|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=31 October 2020|language=de}} The Nazis also established and operated two subcamps of the Gross-Rosen concentration camp, located in present-day districts of Biesnitz and Kunnerwitz, in which over 1,500 Jewish men and women were used as forced labour, and 470 of whom died.{{cite web|url=https://en.gross-rosen.eu/historia-kl-gross-rosen/filie-obozu-gross-rosen/|title=Subcamps of KL Gross- Rosen|website=Gross-Rosen Museum in Rogoźnica|access-date=31 October 2020}} Numerous subcamps of the Stalag VIII-A prisoner-of-war camp were located in the town, in which over 10,000 POWs worked as forced labour in 1942, and one of the largest subcamps was located in nearby Weinhübel (district of Görlitz since 1949).{{cite journal|last1=Lusek|first1=Joanna|last2=Goetze|first2=Albrecht|year=2011|title=Stalag VIII A Görlitz. Historia – teraźniejszość – przyszłość|journal=Łambinowicki rocznik muzealny|location=Opole|language=pl|volume=34|pages=42–43}} After the Soviet offensive of 1944 and the partial evacuation of the German court staff from the General Government in German-occupied Poland, a special court of the General Government was established at the local courthouse.{{cite journal|last=Wrzyszcz|first=Andrzej|year=2008|title=Z badań nad ewakuacją organów resortu sprawiedliwości Generalnego Gubernatorstwa w latach 1944–1945|journal=Studia z dziejów państwa i prawa polskiego|location=Kraków|language=pl|volume=XI|page=270}} Several Polish citizens were detained in Görlitz and sentenced to prison or death at this court for rescuing Jews from the Holocaust.{{cite book|author= |title=Rejestr faktów represji na obywatelach polskich za pomoc ludności żydowskiej w okresie II wojny światowej|year=2014|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=IPN|pages=68–69, 78, 81}}

Near the end of World War II German troops destroyed all bridges crossing the Lusatian Neisse. The redrawing of boundaries in 1945—in particular the location of the East German-Polish border to the present Oder-Neisse line—divided the town. The right bank became part of Poland and was initially renamed Zgorzelice, and then Zgorzelec in 1948, with both names being historically used in the Polish language,{{cite map|author=Wojskowy Instytut Geograficzny|title=Mapa Operacyjna Polski|map=Görlitz (Zgorzelice)|year=1925|scale=1:300,000|language=pl}}{{cite map|author=Wojskowy Instytut Geograficzny|title=Mapa Operacyjna Polski|map=Zgorzelec (Görlitz)|year=1935|scale=1:300,000|language=pl}}{{cite book|last=Jordan|first=Jan Pětr|year=1845|title=Vollständiges Taschenwörterbuch der polnischen und deutschen Sprache/Dokładny słowniczek polsko-niemiecki i niemiecko-polski|language=pl,de|location=Leipzig|page=706}} while the main portion on the left bank became part of East Germany, now within the state of Saxony.

On 12 June 1945 the city issued a set of four of its own postage stamps.{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}

File:Goerlitz Panorama mit Peterskirche.jpg

When the East German states were dissolved in 1952 Görlitz became part of the Dresden District, but the states were restored on German reunification in 1990. In 1972 the East German-Polish border was opened for visa-free travel, resulting in intense movement between Görlitz and Zgorzelec, which lasted until 1980,{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} when East Germany unilaterally closed the border because of anti-communist protests and the emergence of the Solidarity movement in Poland. On 27 June 1994 the town became the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Görlitz but it remains a Lutheran Protestant stronghold.

In 2002 Lake Berzdorf, occupying a former open-cast lignite mine south of Görlitz, began to be filled. The Altstadtbrücke (literally old town bridge) between Görlitz and sister city Zgorzelec was rebuilt between 2003 and 2004. It was officially opened on 20 October 2004. As soon as Poland signed the Schengen Agreement (20 December 2007), movement between the two banks of the river again became unrestricted, since border controls were eliminated. Indeed, users of the new pedestrian bridge are not informed by any signs that they are leaving one country and entering another.

Since reunification and as of 2013 more than 700 buildings have been renovated. It is a popular place for retirement among the elderly of Germany, being quiet and relatively affordable by German standards.{{cite web|url=https://www.goerlitzer-anzeiger.de/goerlitz/gesellschaft/16258_warum-goerlitz-fuer-aeltere-menschen-so-attraktiv-ist.html|title=Warum Görlitz für ältere Menschen so attraktiv ist|date=10 June 2019 |website=goerlitzer-anzeiger.de |publisher=Görlitzer Anzeiger |access-date=3 May 2020}} Its tourist potential is rapidly expanding since it is very much an eastern counterpart to towns such as Heidelberg.{{citation needed|date=February 2017}} In the case of Görlitz much of the funding for the renovations of the town's buildings has come from an anonymous donor, who, since 1995, has sent an annual donation of more than €500,000, totalling more than €10,000,000.{{cite web|url=http://www.dw.com/en/g%C3%B6rlitz-generous-donor/av-16763697|title=Görlitz' Generous Donor|date=23 April 2013 |website=dw.com |publisher=Deutsche Welle |access-date=1 May 2017}}

In 2021 the surviving old synagogue was reopened.

File:Goerlitz-Untermarkt 24 23 von Suedosten-20110627.jpg]]

File:Obermarkt (Görlitz) 01(js).jpg]]

Today Görlitz and Zgorzelec, two towns on opposite banks of the narrow river, are well connected.{{Cite news |title=Presseportal |url=https://www.presseportal.de/pm/158511/5495783 }} Two bridges have been rebuilt, a bus line connects the German and Polish parts of the town and there is a common urban management, with annual joint sessions of both town councils.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}

The town has a rich architectural heritage (Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassical and Art Nouveau). One example of this heritage is the Schönhof, one of the oldest civic Renaissance buildings in Germany. Another medieval heritage is a model of the Holy Sepulchre (de) the construction of which began in 1465 under Bürgermeister Georg Emmerich.{{Cite book|last1=Herbers|first1=Klaus|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n3I9bmtvoDEC&q=Emmerich+1465|title=Der Jakobuskult in Ostmitteleuropa: Austausch - Einflüsse - Wirkungen|last2=Bauer|first2=Dieter R.|date=2003|publisher=Gunter Narr Verlag|isbn=978-3-8233-4012-6|pages=279|language=de}}

In 2006 the twin cities of Görlitz and Zgorzelec applied to be the European City of Culture for 2010. It was hoped that the concept of Polish-German cooperation would be sufficient to convince the jury, but Essen won and Görlitz was placed second. As a result of the campaign Görlitz was renamed the City of Culture in order to further German-Polish relations and to attract tourists from all over the world.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/german-research-project-offers-one-week-of-free-living/a-3641146|title=German Research Project Offers One Week of Free Living | DW | 14.09.2008|website=DW.COM a|access-date=18 April 2020}}

As Görlitz was part of Silesia from 1815 onward, it has a Silesian Museum dedicated to the region ({{lang|de|Schlesisches Museum zu Görlitz}}). The exhibition features the 1000-year-old cultural history of Silesia.

Görlitz is also the birthplace of the German version of nonpareils, popularly known in Germany as {{lang|de|Liebesperlen}} (German for love pearls). Invented by confectioner Rudolf Hoinkis (1876–1944), the name derives from a conversation Hoinkis had with his wife, proclaiming his love for her was like these 'pearls', the nonpareil. Unsure of what to call the treat he invented, his wife suggested calling them love pearls and the name stuck. The factory where he first manufactured the treat, founded in 1896, is now run by his great-grandson, Mathias.{{cite web|url=http://www.dw.com/en/nonpareil-sweet-treat-from-g%C3%B6rlitz/av-19221474|title=Nonpareil - sweet treat from Görlitz|date=28 April 2016|website=dw.com|publisher=Deutsche Welle|access-date=1 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201034145/http://www.dw.com/en/nonpareil-sweet-treat-from-g%C3%B6rlitz/av-19221474|archive-date=1 December 2017|url-status=dead}}

Görlitz is situated on the border with Poland, adjacent to the Polish town of Zgorzelec on the opposite bank of the Lusatian Neisse. The municipality measures {{cvt|19.4|km}} from north to south, and {{cvt|7.3|km}} from east to west.[https://www.goerlitz.de/Stadt-_Ortsteile.html Die Stadt Görlitz und ihre Stadt- und Ortsteile], Stadt Görlitz, accessed 12 October 2021. Its area is {{cvt|67.52|km2}}.[https://www.regionalstatistik.de/genesis//online?operation=table&code=11111-01-01-5&bypass=true&levelindex=1&levelid=1634045114562#abreadcrumb Gebietsfläche in qkm - Stichtag 31.12. - regionale Tiefe: Gemeinden], Statistische Ämter des Bundes und der Länder

Görlitz is divided into 9 Stadtteile (town divisions) and 8 Ortsteile (formerly independent municipalities). These are:

• Stadtteile: Historische Altstadt, Innenstadt, Nikolaivorstadt, Südstadt, Rauschwalde, Biesnitz, Weinhübel, Königshufen and Klingewalde
• Ortsteile: Ober-Neundorf, Ludwigsdorf, Schlauroth, Kunnerwitz, Klein Neundorf, Deutsch-Ossig, Hagenwerder and Tauchritz

File:Bahnhof Görlitz.jpg

Görlitz station is on the Berlin – Görlitz and the Dresden–Görlitz lines of Deutsche Bahn. The station also provides an international connection to Wrocław, Poland.

Local public transport is provided by:

• The Verkehrsgesellschaft Görlitz (VGG) provides public transport service in the city, including the Görlitz tramway and bus services.{{cite web | url = http://www.vgg-goerlitz.de/ | title = Willkommen | publisher = Verkehrsgesellschaft Görlitz GmbH | language = de | access-date = 20 February 2015 | archive-date = 8 January 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190108134613/https://www.vgg-goerlitz.de/ | url-status = dead }}
• The Przedsiębiorstwo Komunikacji Samochodowej (PKS) provides bus service over the river between Görlitz and its sister city, Zgorzelec.{{cite web | url = http://www.pks.zgorzelec.pl | title = Informacje bieżące | language = pl | trans-title = Current Information | url-status=dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120310214648/http://www.pks.zgorzelec.pl/ | archive-date = 10 March 2012 | access-date = 23 June 2010 | publisher = Polnische Verkehrsgesellschaft (Polish Transport Company)}}

The climate is oceanic (Köppen: Cfb) or on the western edge of humid continental (Dfb) at the 0 °C isotherm. The location on the easternmost border of Germany, far from the sea, gives a climate less affected by prevailing westerly winds although these do reach further into the western half of Poland. Summers can be warm, though not as much as in Southern Europe, and the winters are cold; snow is sporadic, not persisting all winter.{{Cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=99401&cityname=Gorlitz,+Germany|title=Gorlitz, Germany Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)|website=Weatherbase|access-date=1 February 2019}}

The Görlitz weather station has recorded the following extreme values:

• Its highest temperature was {{convert|37.9|C|F}} on 7 August 2015.
• Its lowest temperature was {{convert|-30.8|C|F}} on 9 February 1956.
• Its greatest annual precipitation was {{convert|1013.7|mm|in|abbr=on}} in 1939.
• Its least annual precipitation was {{convert|362.4|mm|in|abbr=on}} in 1943.
• The longest annual sunshine was 2,162.5 hours in 2011.
• The shortest annual sunshine was 1,368.3 hours in 1977.

{{Weather box

|location = Görlitz (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1860–present)

|metric first = Y

|single line = Y

|Jan record high C = 16.0

|Feb record high C = 17.0

|Mar record high C = 23.3

|Apr record high C = 30.2

|May record high C = 33.2

|Jun record high C = 35.7

|Jul record high C = 35.9

|Aug record high C = 37.9

|Sep record high C = 33.4

|Oct record high C = 26.0

|Nov record high C = 19.2

|Dec record high C = 16.3

|Jan avg record high C = 9.8

|Feb avg record high C = 11.3

|Mar avg record high C = 17.0

|Apr avg record high C = 23.3

|May avg record high C = 26.9

|Jun avg record high C = 30.4

|Jul avg record high C = 32.0

|Aug avg record high C = 31.7

|Sep avg record high C = 26.3

|Oct avg record high C = 21.1

|Nov avg record high C = 14.4

|Dec avg record high C = 10.3

|year avg record high C = 33.4

|Jan high C = 2.2

|Feb high C = 3.7

|Mar high C = 8.0

|Apr high C = 14.2

|May high C = 18.7

|Jun high C = 22.0

|Jul high C = 24.2

|Aug high C = 24.1

|Sep high C = 18.8

|Oct high C = 13.1

|Nov high C = 7.2

|Dec high C = 3.2

|year high C = 13.3

|Jan mean C = -0.2

|Feb mean C = 0.9

|Mar mean C = 4.1

|Apr mean C = 9.3

|May mean C = 13.6

|Jun mean C = 16.9

|Jul mean C = 18.9

|Aug mean C = 18.6

|Sep mean C = 14.1

|Oct mean C = 9.4

|Nov mean C = 4.6

|Dec mean C = 1.0

|year mean C = 9.3

|Jan low C = -2.8

|Feb low C = -2.1

|Mar low C = 0.4

|Apr low C = 4.0

|May low C = 8.0

|Jun low C = 11.4

|Jul low C = 13.4

|Aug low C = 13.2

|Sep low C = 9.6

|Oct low C = 5.7

|Nov low C = 1.9

|Dec low C = -1.3

|year low C = 5.1

|Jan avg record low C = -13.5

|Feb avg record low C = -10.8

|Mar avg record low C = -6.2

|Apr avg record low C = -2.4

|May avg record low C = 2.1

|Jun avg record low C = 6.2

|Jul avg record low C = 8.4

|Aug avg record low C = 7.8

|Sep avg record low C = 3.5

|Oct avg record low C = -1.2

|Nov avg record low C = -5.0

|Dec avg record low C = -10.0

|year avg record low C = -15.6

|Jan record low C = -27.5

|Feb record low C = -30.8

|Mar record low C = -21.9

|Apr record low C = -9.3

|May record low C = -3.3

|Jun record low C = 0.2

|Jul record low C = 3.9

|Aug record low C = 4.0

|Sep record low C = -1.4

|Oct record low C = -6.2

|Nov record low C = -15.0

|Dec record low C = -24.4

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 44.0

|Feb precipitation mm = 35.4

|Mar precipitation mm = 48.5

|Apr precipitation mm = 36.2

|May precipitation mm = 59.1

|Jun precipitation mm = 69.4

|Jul precipitation mm = 89.1

|Aug precipitation mm = 78.5

|Sep precipitation mm = 54.6

|Oct precipitation mm = 46.0

|Nov precipitation mm = 42.8

|Dec precipitation mm = 42.7

|year precipitation mm = 646.2

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 16.7

|Feb precipitation days = 14.9

|Mar precipitation days = 15.7

|Apr precipitation days = 12.1

|May precipitation days = 13.9

|Jun precipitation days = 13.9

|Jul precipitation days = 14.0

|Aug precipitation days = 12.9

|Sep precipitation days = 12.5

|Oct precipitation days = 13.6

|Nov precipitation days = 14.5

|Dec precipitation days = 16.1

|year precipitation days = 170.7

|Jan snow depth cm = 12.1

|Feb snow depth cm = 11.0

|Mar snow depth cm = 6.4

|Apr snow depth cm = 1.0

|May snow depth cm = 0

|Jun snow depth cm = 0

|Jul snow depth cm = 0

|Aug snow depth cm = 0

|Sep snow depth cm = 0

|Oct snow depth cm = 0.3

|Nov snow depth cm = 3.5

|Dec snow depth cm = 8.8

|year snow depth cm = 18.9

|unit snow days = 1.0 cm

|Jan snow days = 14.3

|Feb snow days = 11.5

|Mar snow days = 5.4

|Apr snow days = 0.9

|May snow days = 0

|Jun snow days = 0

|Jul snow days = 0

|Aug snow days = 0

|Sep snow days = 0

|Oct snow days = 0.1

|Nov snow days = 2.5

|Dec snow days = 8.6

|year snow days =

|Jan sun = 61.3

|Feb sun = 82.8

|Mar sun = 132.0

|Apr sun = 192.7

|May sun = 227.1

|Jun sun = 227.1

|Jul sun = 236.2

|Aug sun = 228.3

|Sep sun = 165.8

|Oct sun = 122.7

|Nov sun = 67.7

|Dec sun = 56.3

|year sun = 1791.5

|humidity colour = green

|Jan humidity = 84.0

|Feb humidity = 80.6

|Mar humidity = 76.4

|Apr humidity = 68.9

|May humidity = 70.3

|Jun humidity = 70.4

|Jul humidity = 69.2

|Aug humidity = 69.8

|Sep humidity = 76.4

|Oct humidity = 80.6

|Nov humidity = 84.9

|Dec humidity = 84.9

|source 1 = World Meteorological Organization{{cite web

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231012154816/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Germany/CSV/Gera-Leumnitz_10567.csv

|archive-date = 12 October 2023

|url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Germany/CSV/Gera-Leumnitz_10567.csv

|title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020

|work = World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020)

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|access-date = 12 October 2023}}

|source 2 = Deutscher Wetterdienst / SKlima.de{{cite web

|url = http://sklima.de/datenbank_auswertung.php?tab=2

|title = Monatsauswertung

|website = sklima.de

|publisher = SKlima

|language = de

|access-date = 18 October 2024}}}}

File:Muschelminna Brunnen von 1887 Süd-Ansicht Arch. Toberentz Nachbildung 1994 Postplatz Görlitz Sachsen Foto Wolfgang Pehlemann DSCN1175.jpg

Due to the historical parts of the city, many movie-makers have used the various sites as locations. Eli Roth shot the movie-in-a-movie Nation's Pride ({{lang|de|Stolz der Nation}}) for Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds (which incidentally purports to be France) in the Lower Market Square and Upper Market Square in the oldest parts of the city.{{cite news|last1=Duke|first1=Alan|title='Basterds' pro-Nazi short made by a Jewish director - CNN.com|url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/08/11/tarantino.nazi.film/index.html|access-date=7 April 2017|publisher=CNN|date=11 August 2009|language=en}}{{cite news|title='Newcomer Görlitz', das Stadtportrait für das MYSELF Magazin - Fotos Christian KERBER c/o SOLAR UND FOTOGRAFEN|url=http://www.gosee.de/news/editorial/-newcomer-goerlitz-das-stadtportrait-fuer-das-myself-magazin-fotos-christian-kerber-c-o-solar-und-fotografen-34306|access-date=7 April 2017|work=Gosee|date=22 April 2016|language=de}} Other films shot in Görlitz include the 2013 war drama The Book Thief and the teen years in The Reader. Görlitz was used as the primary shooting location for the Wes Anderson film The Grand Budapest Hotel, with Görlitz standing in for a resort in the fictional Eastern European country of Zubrowka. A vacant department store in the city was redecorated to serve as the hotel itself.{{cite web|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/wes-andersons-new-movie-has-a-distributor-plot-95750|title=Wes Anderson's new movie has a distributor, plot|date=28 March 2013|work=The A.V. Club|access-date=7 April 2017}}

File:Goerlitz-Neues Rathaus von Osten-20110626.jpg]]

The first freely elected mayor after German reunification was Matthias Lechner of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), who served from 1990 to 1998. The mayor was originally chosen by the city council, but since 1994 has been directly elected. Rolf Karbaum served from 1998 until 2005, Joachim Paulick from 2005 to 2012, and Siegfried Deinege from 2012 to 2019; all were independents. In 2019, CDU politician Octavian Ursu was elected mayor. The most recent mayoral election was held on 26 May 2019, with a runoff held on 16 June, and the results were as follows:

{{election table}}

! rowspan=2 colspan=2| Candidate

! rowspan=2| Party

! colspan=2| First round

! colspan=2| Second round

|-

! Votes

! %

! Votes

! %

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Alternative for Germany}}|

| align=left| Sebastian Wippel

| align=left| Alternative for Germany

| 9,710

| 36.4

| 11,390

| 44.8

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}}|

| align=left| Octavian Ursu

| align=left| Christian Democratic Union

| 8,077

| 30.3

| 14,043

| 55.2

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Alliance 90/The Greens}}|

| align=left| Franziska Schubert

| align=left| Green/BfG/MG/SPD/PARTEI

| 7,436

| 27.9

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|

| align=left| Jana Lübeck

| align=left| The Left

| 1,470

| 5.5

|-

! colspan=3| Valid votes

! 26,693

! 98.7

! 25,433

! 98.6

|-

! colspan=3| Invalid votes

! 339

! 1.3

! 370

! 1.4

|-

! colspan=3| Total

! 27,032

! 100.0

! 25,803

! 100.0

|-

! colspan=3| Electorate/voter turnout

! 46,120

! 58.6

! 46,135

! 55.9

|-

| colspan=7| Source: [https://wahlen.sachsen.de/buergermeisterwahl-ueberblick-wahlergebnisse.php?landkreis=14626&gemeinde=14626110&_ptabs=%7B%22%23tab-wahlgang_eins%22%3A1%7D Wahlen in Sachsen]

|}

The most recent city council election was held on 6 June 2024, and the results were as follows:

{{election table}}

! colspan=2| Party

! Votes

! %

! +/-

! Seats

! +/-

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Alternative for Germany}}|

| align=left| Alternative for Germany (AfD)

| 28,496

| 37.2

| {{increase}} 6.4

| 14

| {{increase}} 1

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}}|

| align=left| Christian Democratic Union (CDU)

| 19,765

| 25.8

| {{increase}} 3.8

| 10

| {{increase}} 1

|-

|

| align=left| Citizens for Görlitz (BfG)

| 10,679

| 13.9

| {{decrease}} 3.6

| 5

| {{decrease}} 2

|-

|

| align=left| Motor Görlitz (MG)

| 6,266

| 8.2

| {{increase}} 2.5

| 3

| {{increase}} 1

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|

| align=left| The Left (Die Linke)

| 4,727

| 6.2

| {{decrease}} 2.3

| 2

| {{decrease}} 1

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Alliance 90/The Greens}}|

| align=left| Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne)

| 3,309

| 4.3

| {{decrease}} 3.3

| 2

| {{decrease}} 1

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}|

| align=left| Social Democratic Party (SPD)

| 1,951

| 2.5

| {{increase}} 0.2

| 1

| {{steady}} 0

|-

| bgcolor=169340|

| align=left| Free Saxons

| 1,377

| 1.8

| New

| 1

| New

|-

! colspan=2| Valid votes

! 76,570

! 100.0

!

!

!

|-

! colspan=2| Invalid ballots

! 428

! 1.6

!

!

!

|-

! colspan=2| Total ballots

! 26,964

! 100.0

!

! 38

! ±0

|-

! colspan=2| Electorate/voter turnout

! 45,068

! 59.8

! {{increase}} 1.1

!

!

|-

| colspan="7"| Source: [https://www.goerlitz.de/uploads/WahlergebnisStadtratswahl_Goerlitz_09.06.2024.pdf City of Görlitz]

|}

File:18-09-29-Görlitz-RalfR-DJI 0418.jpg, Poland]]

{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany}}

Görlitz is twinned with:{{cite web |title=Städtepartnerschaften|url=https://www.goerlitz.de/Partnerstaedte.html|website=goerlitz.de|publisher=Görlitz|language=de|access-date=3 February 2021}}

• {{flagicon|FRA}} Amiens, France
• {{flagicon|ITA}} Molfetta, Italy
• {{flagicon|CZE}} Nový Jičín, Czech Republic
• {{flagicon|GER}} Wiesbaden, Germany
• {{flagicon|POL}} Zgorzelec, Poland

Being the easternmost town in the country, Görlitz has formed a 'Compass Alliance' ({{lang|de|Zipfelbund}}) with the northernmost, westernmost and southernmost towns, List, Selfkant and Oberstdorf respectively. They participate in the annual German Unity Day celebrations to represent the modern limits of Germany.{{Cite web|url=https://www.zipfelbund.de/tag-deutschen-einheit.html|title=Tag der Deutschen Einheit|website=zipfelbund.de|language=de|access-date=30 April 2020}}

File:Michael Ballack 2009 cropped.jpg

• Adasse (fl.1348), money lender
• Michael Ballack (born 1976), football player
• Jakob Böhme (1575–1624), mystic and theologian
• Johann Christoph Brotze (1742–1823), educator
• Hans Georg Dehmelt (1922–2017), co-recipient of the 1989 Nobel Prize in Physics
• Hans-Jürgen Dörner (1951–2022), football player and coach
• Werner Finck (1902–1978), comedian, actor and writer
• Richard Foerster (classical scholar) (1843–1922), classical scholar
• Johann Carl Gehler (1732–1796) physician, anatomist and mineralogist
• Gottlob Harrer (1703–1755), composer
• Clara Hepner (1860–1939), German-Jewish writer
• Torsten Gütschow (born 1962), football player
• Herbert Hirche (1910–2002), architect and designer
• Hanna von Hoerner (1942–2014), astrophysicist
• Emil Jannings (1884–1950), first actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor
• Jens Jeremies (born 1974), football player
• Reinhart Koselleck (1923–2006), historian
• Michael Kretschmer (born 1975), politician (CDU), Minister President of Saxony
• Lars Kaufmann (born 1982), handball player
• Selma Lohse (1883–1937), politician
• Oskar Morgenstern (1902–1977), economist
• Gustavus Adolphus Neumann (1807–1886), publisher
• Arthur Pohl (1900–1970), set designer, director and screenwriter
• Hans Ulrich Rudel (1916–1982) highly decorated WWII pilot for Nazi Germany
• Pavle Jurišić Šturm (1848–1922), Serbian Army general, born in Görlitz
• Alfred Wagenknecht (1881–1956), American Marxist politician
• Giorgio Zur (1930–2019), Catholic Archbishop and Apostolic Nuncio in Austria

File:Peterskirche Goerlitz.jpg|St. Peter and Paul church, the Woad House and the river Lusatian Neisse in Görlitz

File:Görlitz Peterskirche Orgel.jpg|Interior of St. Peter and Paul with its Sonnenorgel (sun organ)

File:Goerlitz-Schoenhof von Westen-20110626.jpg|The Schönhof, the oldest Renaissance building in Görlitz

File:Görlitz-Karstadt-Jugendstil.jpg|Interior of the Görlitzer Warenhaus department store

File:Obermarkt Görlitz @20201001 b.jpg|View over Upper Market Square taken from Reichenbach Tower, residential buildings of Zgorzelec in the background

File:Görlitz Altes Rathaus am Untermarkt.JPG|Old town hall on the Lower Market Square

File:Görlitz - Brüderstraße - Altes Rathaus - Corvinuswappen 02 ies.jpg|Royal coats of arms of Hungarian King Matthias Corvinus (Old Town Hall)

File:Görlitz - Obermarkt13-Reichenbacher Turm 02 ies.jpg|Reichenbach Tower

File:Görlitz - Postplatz - Gericht 06 ies.jpg|Courthouse

File:Landeskrone view from zgorzelec.JPG|The Landeskrone, literally "land's crown", the local mountain of Görlitz

File:Gerh'HauptmannTheather Görlitz.jpg|Theatre

File:Dreifaltigkeitskirche Goerlitz.jpg|Gothic Holy Trinity church

File:Görlitz - Marienplatz - Frauenturm 04 ies.jpg|Thick Tower

File:Nikolaikirchhof_Görlitz_01.jpg|Nikolai Cemetery

File:Görlitz-Nikolaistr.JPG|Nikolai Tower

File:St Peter and Paul Church, Gorlitz from south-east.jpg|St. Peter and Paul

File:Altes Rathaus Görlitz 1.jpg|Old town hall

File:Wilhelmsplatz-1-goerlitz.jpg|Wilhelmsplatz

{{notelist}}

• Ludwigsdorf
• Pließnitz

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category|Görlitz}}

{{EB1911 poster|Görlitz}}

• {{wikivoyage-inline|Görlitz}}
• [https://www.visit-goerlitz.com/ Official website] {{in lang|en}}
• {{Official website}} {{in lang|de}}
• [http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3641146,00.html DW-World 'trial living' report.]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvz0WKE45_s "Görlitz/Zgorzelec{{snd}}Urban development from 12th to 21st century"] on YouTube

{{Cities and towns in Görlitz (district)}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gorlitz}}

Category:Cities in Silesia

Category:Divided cities

Category:Germany–Poland border crossings

Category:Towns in Görlitz (district)

Category:Holocaust locations in Germany