An impression of Görliwood®
The tour starts at the tourist service Görlitz-Information, Obermarkt 32.
Have you already purchased the flyer "Welcome to Görliwood" at the tourist service Görlitz-Information? Look westwards then, there is the Upper Market Square Obermarkt, the setting of "The Monuments Men". The Trinity Church and many other places in Görlitz served in the film "The Grand Budapest Hotel" which won an Oscar for the Best Scenery. Similar to the church in the film, in reality, it is an old Franciscan church (1234 - 1245) and worthwhile a visit.
Turn around now, leave Görlitz-Information behind you, and go eastbound towards Poland, walking along Brüderstrasse with its small shops. You will reach the Town Hall and the Lower Market Square Untermarkt, probably the most popular film backdrop in Görlitz.
Untermarkt, especially with the unique corner building Brauner Hirsch, is one of the most alterable places of the city suitable for many different genres. So it was seen in historical films like "Goethe!" or "Around the World in 80 Days", in World War dramas like "The Book Thief" or "Inglourious Basterds", or in fairy tales like "Der Zauberlehrling". On the Untermarkt, you will also find the first five stops forming part of the Walk of Görliwood. The decorated shop windows show the diversity of the film city of Görlitz. Stops 1 to 4 can be found directly inside the building of Brauner Hirsch (the Brown Deer) on Neißstraße, stop 5 is located at Untermarkt 9.
Proceed to Neißstrasse towards the Old Town Bridge Altstadtbrücke, which has connected both parts of the European City Görlitz/Zgorzelec at an historical site since 2004. From there, stroll along the banks on the German side towards the event hall Stadthalle, an Art Nouveau building, which represented the entrance to the Grand Budapest Hotel.
Walking down Neißstrasse, you may as well turn south into Kränzelstrasse, another film location for "The Grand Budapest Hotel".
Now, from Kränzelstrasse, walk up Jakob-Böhme-Strasse, where you will find an original backdrop: a wall with the inscription "Wählt Thälmann!" (“Vote for Thälmann!”) The inscription was made for the film "Ernst Thälmann" produced in the 1980s and has not been removed ever since. Fans of "The Grand Budapest Hotel" will notice here again that this spot was used for different scenes.
From here, proceed to the square Demianiplatz. Have a look at probably the most beautiful department store in Germany, the Jugendstil-Warenhaus, an Art Nouveau building. Its entrance hall represented the lobby of "The Grand Budapest Hotel". For curious people, it is still possible to sneak a peek into a show case, and now and then, the building is even open to the public. Also Kate Winslet went past the department store by tram playing the tram conductor in "The Reader".
Demianiplatz is also said to be the gateway to the Gründerzeitareal, the Wilhelminian quarter. It stretches several square kilometres from the Old Town Altstadt towards the south, left and right of Berliner Strasse, presenting completely preserved streets. In Landeskronstrasse, "The Captain" and "The Reader" were filmed. In Emmerichstrasse in the southern part of the Wilhelminian quarter, scenes for the two-part film "The Tower" and the comedy "Bye Bye Germany" were shot.