Görlitz, Border town in Saxony, Germany.
Görlitz is a town in eastern Saxony on the border with Poland, divided by the Neisse River. The eastern part has been called Zgorzelec since 1945 and belongs to the neighboring country, while the old town with churches, squares and bridges spreads across both banks.
The settlement emerged in the 11th century as a trading post at the crossing of major east-west routes between Kyiv and Santiago de Compostela. After the Second World War, the town center was divided by the river and the eastern side came under Polish administration.
The old quarter preserves more than 4000 buildings from Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Art Nouveau periods that survived the war without damage. Walking through the streets, you see decorated facades, doorways with sculptures and old church towers that still shape the townscape today.
The nearest airport is in Dresden, around 100 kilometers away, with regular train connections to the town center. The old quarter is easy to explore on foot, bridges connect both banks and you can cross between Germany and Poland without border checks.
Film crews from around the world use the streets and buildings as backdrops, including for the movie The Grand Budapest Hotel. The architecture remained so well preserved after the war that it can represent historical settings without major modifications.
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