Discover 15 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Görlitz (Germany). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Town Hall, Synagogue, and Reichenbach Tower. Also, be sure to include Görlitz Zoo in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Görlitz (Saxony).
Table of Contents
Town Hall
The Town Hall of Görlitz has been the place of the city's administration and jurisdictions since 1350. It was first mentioned in a document by the Görlitz council in 1369. Its interior dates back partly to the Renaissance period and baroque period. Over the centuries the administration grew, so did the town hall. It utilises several buildings of different epoches on the Lower Market Square 6–8.
The town hall tower was raised in the 16th century, in 1524 a clock with two dials was added. Those were modified in 1584 by Bartholomäus Scultetus who joined the mechanisms of the day time clock with the upper moon phase clock. Wendel Roskopf the Elder built a council besides the staircase. In 1591 a stone Lady Justice was added - a symbol of high Jurisdiction of the cities council.
The heraldic relief from 1488 by King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary and Bohemia indicates the affiliation to Upper Lusatia. In 1903 the new town hall extension building in Renaissance Revival architecture was finished.[1]
Address: 6 Untermarkt, Görlitz
Synagogue
The Görlitz Synagogue in Görlitz, Germany was built between 1909 and 1911 in the Art Nouveau style and was the main place of worship for the city's Jewish community. Despite an arson attack, the synagogue was one of the few synagogues in the area to survive Kristallnacht, sustaining only minor damage. The damage could have been greater, but was lessened because the firefighters ignored the orders to let the synagogue burn. With the city's Jewish population depleted, the unused synagogue became a ruin in the following decades. In 1991, a restoration project began which was completed in December 2020. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the opening ceremony was postponed until 2021. The synagogue duly opened on July 12, 2021.[2]
Address: 3 Otto-Müller-Straße, Görlitz
Reichenbach Tower
Museum in Görlitz, Germany. The Reichenbach Tower probably built in the 13th century and first mentioned in 1376 is the western part of the historic fortification of Görlitz. With a height of 51m it is the tallest of the three fortified towers in Görlitz..[3]
Görlitz Zoo
Also known as: Tierpark Görlitz
Zoo in Görlitz, Germany. The Görlitz Zoo is a zoo in Görlitz, in Saxony, Germany.
Founded in 1957, it covers 5 hectares (12.4 acres) and houses 500 animals from 100 species and also some types of domestic breeds.[4]
Address: Zittauer Strasse, Görlitz
Nikolai Tower
Tower in Görlitz, Germany. The 45m tall Nikolai Tower probably erected before 1250 is part of the historic fortification of Görlitz. It is located inside the inner part of Görlitz between the old town and the historic nikolai suburb. Together with the Thick Tower and the Reichenbach Tower three of four fortified towers are still preserved in Görlitz.[5]
Schönhof
The Schönhof is the oldest Renaissance-building in Görlitz, Germany. The building on Bretheren Street 8 was constructed by Wendel Roskopf in 1526 over the surviving stone foundations after the town fire in 1525.
Favored by its topographical location, the comfortably furnished representative building served as a royal guesthouse since the 14th century. Its historical and architectural value was recognized early on and saved the house from far-reaching conversion measures and even demolitions.
A central hall inside the building extends over all floors, thus the house corresponds to the type of a Görlitz hall house. This hall was obstructed in the course of the centuries - however, its walls are accessible to the research[6]
Address: 8 Brüderstraße, Görlitz
St. Jakobus
Cathedral in Görlitz, Germany. The cathedral of St. Jakobus in Görlitz, Germany, is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Görlitz, dedicated to St. James. It was built in neo-Gothic style and consecrated in 1900 as a parish church. It became a cathedral in 1994, due to the reorganisation of East German dioceses.[7]
Address: An der Jakobuskirche 4, 02826 Görlitz
Oberlausitzische Bibliothek der Wissenschaften
Library in Görlitz, Germany. The Upper Lusatian Library of Sciences contains about 150,000 volumes, making it the largest library in Görlitz and the most important regional library between Dresden and Wrocław. Cornered between Germany, Poland and Czech Republic and therefore looking back on a rich history its goal is to provide historical research and enhance knowledge transfer in the region.[8]
Museum of Natural History
Also known as: Senckenberg Museum für Naturkunde Görlitz
Museum in Görlitz, Germany. The Museum of Natural History in Görlitz, Germany is a natural history museum with focus on zoology, botany and geology. Since 2009, the museum has been part of the Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung with headquarters in Frankfurt/Main. The main field of research is soil biology. In the years 2006 to 2017 the number of visitors was between 25,000 and 34,000, in the year of the 3rd Saxon State Exhibition 2011 it was even 47,000.[9]
Address: Am Museum 1, 02826 Görlitz
Berzdorfer See
Lake in Germany. The Berzdorfer See or Lake Berzdorf is situated near the southern border of Görlitz in Saxony, Germany. The artificial lake was created out of a former lignite mine — the flooding was finished on 6 February 2013. The planned surface area of the lake is expected to be about 10 km². Its name derives from the small village Schönau-Berzdorf to the southwest of the lake. It is expected to be one of the largest lakes in Saxony.[10]
Address: An der B99, 02827 Görlitz
St. Peter and Paul church
Parish church of St. Piotr and Paweł in Görlitz-the Evangelical-Augsburg Church located in Saxon Görlitz on the hill on Nysa Łużycka. The largest indoor church in Saxony.
Address: Bei der Peterskirche 9, 02826 Görlitz
The Imperial Stronghold
Museum
Church of the Holy Trinity
The Church of the Holy Trinity is a Protestant church in Gorlitz. It was built between 1234 and 1245 as the convent church of the Franciscan monastery on today's Obermarkt. In 1564 the monastery was converted into a grammar school, the church served as a school church and since 1712 as a parochial church.
Address: 21 Klosterplatz, Görlitz
Gerhart Hauptmann-Theater
Theater Görlitz is a theater building for opera and drama in the East Saxon city of Görlitz. The building is popularly known as the Little Semper Opera House due to its opulent interior design.
Address: Demianiplatz 2, Görlitz
Bagger 1452 - SRS 1200
The 1452 excavator with the type designation SRs 1200 is a bucket wheel excavator manufactured in 1961 by VEB Schwermaschinenbau Lauchhammerwerk for lignite mining and was in use until 2001.
After it was decommissioned, the bucket wheel excavator remained in the former Berzdorf open pit mine near Görlitz (now Lake Berzdorf) and has since been preserved as a museum by the Berzdorf - Upper Lusatia Mining Witnesses Association. Due to its local and technical historical significance, it was also included in the official cultural monument list of the Free State of Saxony.
Address: Berzdorfer Str., 102, 02827 Görlitz