The Town Hall

Firstly mentioned in 1369, it has always been a place of city administration, of power and jurisdiction. Today’s appearance is the result of several reconstructions. Next to the balcony used for official announcements and created by the architect Wendel Roskopf the Elder in 1537/38, you see a statue of Justitia, the goddess of Justice, placed here in 1591. She does not wear a blindfold, and thus, symbolises the city council’s free jurisdiction.

The Beautiful Court (Schönhof)

Even among the magnificent architectural ensemble of the Old Town of Görlitz, the Schönhof is a striking building. It is the oldest Renaissance town house in Germany. The former private residence and brewery, existing until the 20th century, used to be one of the noblest buildings of the city, and served as a guest house for many sovereigns. Once emerged from several individual residential units, the building was destroyed in the great fire in 1525. When Wendel Roskopf started the reconstruction of the building in 1526, he integrated the remains of the previous building. After comprehensive restoration, the Silesian Museum was opened here on May 13th, 2006, and now displays its permanent exhibition here. Apart from beautifully painted ceilings and remarkable architectural details, visitors can discover treasures of Silesian culture and history.

Address: Brüderstraße 8, 02826 Görlitz

The Lower Market 22 with Whispering Arch (Flüsterbogen)

The Untermarkt (Lower Market), located right next to the Town hall, is the place, where the richest merchants of the city used to live. House number 22 is decorated with a very special round-arched portal from the late Gothic period. However, it is not the visual appearance making this portal so special, but an acoustic phenomenon: When you whisper something into one end of the arch, and you will clearly understand the words at the other end. Therefore, people call it the “Whispering Arch”.

Address: Untermarkt 22, 02826 Görlitz

The Pharmacy

The Pharmacy is one of the most striking buildings on the Lower Market (Untermarkt). Apart from the colourful facade, the visitor’s attention is immediately drawn to the two sun clocks decorating the facade of the Renaissance building. They were designed by Bartholomäus Scultetus. The clock on the left-hand side indicates the hours, the one on the right-hand side shows the planet hours.

Address: Untermarkt 24, 02826 Görlitz

Neissstreet with Biblical House

The steep Neißstraße leads from the Lower Market (Untermarkt) down to the banks of the Neisse River. It follows exactly the old trade route VIA REGIA, and it is therefore not surprising that there are so many splendid buildings to see along this street. Among them, the Biblical House is particularly outstanding. It was designed in 1570 for a woad merchant. The unique facade is richly decorated, depicting scenes from the Old and the New Testament.  

Address: Neissstraße 29, 02826 Görlitz

The Old Town Bridge (Altstadtbrücke)

There has been a bridge here ever since the year 1298. Originally made from wood, it had to be renewed from time to time due to all the burdens caused by trading caravans, fires, floods and wars. In 1906/1907, a stone bridge was built, but it was blown up by German soldiers on May 7th, 1945. For nearly half a century, this very place remained without any crossing. On October 20th, 2004, the new Old Town Bridge was officially inaugurated. Since that day, this pedestrian bridge connects the two parts of the European City Görlitz/Zgorzelec on historical ground and is a symbol for the two cities growing together.

Address: Hotherstraße/Uferstraße, 02826 Görlitz

The Art Nouveau Department Store (Jugendstilkaufhaus)

It is said to be the most beautiful department store in Germany, and since Wes Anderson’s Hollywood film "The Grand Budapest Hotel", it is more famous than ever before. For the cult producer, the department store was a nearly ready-made film set.

The Strassburg-Passage

Otto Strassburg Company opened their first business, a textile shop, in 7 Berliner Strasse. Step by step, the shop grew bigger, until in 1907 the whole passage was completed. In 1927, the glass roofing was added. The 115m-long passage with its numerous shops connects Berliner Strasse with Wilhelms Square (Wilhelmsplatz).

Address: Jakobstraße 34, 02826 Görlitz

The Railway Station

A first, small railway station was built, when Görlitz was connected to the Saxon and Prussian railway systems in 1847, and when the 475m-long Neiße viaduct was constructed. The growing rail transport and the development of Görlitz turning into a transport hub demanded the construction of a new railway station at the beginning of the 20th century. Today, the Art Nouveau Station building with the big reception hall seems to come from another time.

Address: Bahnhofstraße 76, 02826 Görlitz

The Landskron Brewery

Behind the historical brick walls of the Landskron Brewery, founded in 1869 and located on the attractive banks of the Neisse River, beer is still brewed according to the traditional procedure and with open, hand-guided fermentation. The tasty Landskron beer is stored underground in 12m-deep cellars, much longer than usual in order to mature between 6 and 12 weeks, depending on the type of beer. Different tours are offered to introduce the art of brewing to the visitors, ending up in a hearty beer tasting.