Tour through the old town of Görlitz
- 1:00 h
- 2.05 km
- 26 m
- 26 m
- 188 m
- 206 m
- 18 m
- Start: Görlitz Information at Obermarkt, Görlitz
- Destination: Görlitz Information at Obermarkt, Görlitz
Görlitz - considered by many to be the most beautiful city in Germany - is regarded as one of the largest protected monuments in Germany with 4000 listed buildings. The historic cityscape even counts among the best-preserved ensembles in all of Central Europe.
Not only because it suffered very little damage during World War II, but also thanks to an anonymous donor who donated one million DM annually to the city for over 20 years, equivalent to half a million euros. The specially founded Görlitz Old Town Foundation managed the money to preserve listed houses and used it according to the donor's wishes.
You can admire the oldest bourgeois Renaissance house in Germany. The Schönhof was built in 1526 and today houses the Silesian Museum. The great city architect Wendel Roßkopf left us numerous buildings in the early Renaissance style, which today give a special charm to the old town.
Besides numerous museums and towers, Görlitz offers another special feature. In the Peterskirche is the famous solar organ, built by Eugenio Casparini at the end of the 17th century. It is one of the largest concert organs in the world.
Görlitz lies exactly on the 15th meridian and as the easternmost city in Germany belongs to the Zipfelbund. Over the old town bridge, rebuilt in 2004, you reach the Polish partner city of Zgorzelec.
Good to know
Pavements
- Asphalt (100%)
Best to visit
- suitableDepends on weather
Directions
- Start the route at the Görlitz Information at Obermarkt. Here you can also get a city map and further information. Now follow Brüderstraße to Untermarkt. The cafés and restaurants invite you to enjoy, and in the arcades of the magnificent Renaissance and Baroque merchant houses, you can stroll comfortably. Here is also the probably most beautiful tower (Town Hall Tower) in the city in the heart of the old town.
Follow Peterstraße to the Peterskirche, the emblem of the city of Görlitz, towering high above the Neisse. Take a look inside the Peterskirche with its impressive solar organ. The performance of the solar organ takes place year-round on Sundays and holidays at 12:00 noon (additionally from April to October on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12:00 noon).
From the Peterskirche you can reach the old town bridge within a few minutes. Today the pedestrian bridge connects the German and Polish parts of the European city Görlitz/Zgorzelec at the historic site and stands symbolically for the merging of the two cities.
If you now walk along Neiße street, on the over 900-year-old trade route VIA REGIA, you can discover the Baroque house on the left side. Right next to the Baroque house is the Biblical House with its beautiful façade.
Via Weberstraße, you reach Bäckerstraße. From here it is just a few meters to Klosterplatz. The conspicuous building was once a monastery and is now part of the Augustum-Annen-Gymnasium.
You reach Elisabethstraße via Klosterstraße. Elisabethstraße (also: Elisabethplatz) connects the city center and the historic old town of Görlitz. Follow Elisabethstraße to Marienplatz. Especially striking here are the Thick Tower, the water playground, and the Senckenberg Museum of Natural History. Numerous seating areas invite you to relax.
You reach the last point of the old town tour via Steinstraße. Obermarkt is one of the largest and most beautiful squares in Görlitz. It stretches from Reichenbacher Tower to Herold Fountain. Along the square ran the old trade route VIA REGIA, which connected Eastern and Western Europe. Today there are numerous hotels, restaurants, cafes, the Görlitz Information, and parking spaces. Here the tour through the old town ends. Tour information
Cultural Interesting
Loop Road
Stop at an Inn
Suitable for Pushchair
Equipment
- Due to the cobblestones, sturdy footwear is recommended.
Directions & Parking facilities
- Getting there
- from Dresden via the A4 to the Görlitz exit (94) and continue on B6 and B99 towards the center/old town.
- from Cottbus via the B115 and continue on B6 and B99 towards the center/old town.
- from Wrocław (Breslau) via the A4 to the Görlitz exit (94) and continue on B6 and B99 towards the center/old town
- from Bautzen/Löbau via the B6 to the Görlitz-Rauschwalde junction and continue via Wiesbadener and Reichenbacher Straße towards the center/old town
- from Zittau on the B99 towards the center/old town
More information can be found at: www.goerlitz.de/Anreise.html
ParkingSufficient paid parking spaces are available at the Obermarkt. At the parking ticket machines, 24-hour parking tickets (day tickets) can be purchased. The parking fee is 10 euros and can only be paid with coins. The parking tickets are valid with the payment of the fee until the same time on the following fee-applicable day.Public transportationTake tram line 1 or 2 to the Demianiplatz stop, then walk about 5 minutes over Marienplatz and Obermarkt towards the old town. The Görlitz Information is located at the end of Obermarkt next to the Herold Fountain. More information can be found at: https://www.goerlitztakt.de/de/
Additional information
Author
Europastadt GörlitzZgorzelec GmbH
Organization
Das Landschaftswunderland Oberlausitz
License (master data)
Europastadt GörlitzZgorzelec GmbH
Author´s Tip / Recommendation of the author
- Learn more about Görlitz during the city tours with our guides. You can find dates at: www.goerlitz.de/Stadtfuehrungen
Visit the Görlitz Collections for History and Culture or the Silesian Museum.
Experience a very special auditory experience in the Peterskirche during "Organ Point 12".
Safety guidelines
- Please note the weather-related peculiarities of the historic basalt pavement in the squares and streets of the old town.
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