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{{short description|Town in Saxony, Germany}}
{{redirect-distinguish|Goerlitz|Gorlice}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox German location
|name=Görlitz
|German_name = <small>{{ubl|{{native name|dsb|Zgórjelc}}|{{native name|hsb|Zhorjelc}}|{{native name|pl|Zgorzelec}}|{{native name|cs|Zhořelec}}|''Gerlz'' / ''Gerltz'' / ''Gerltsch'' ([[Lusatian dialects|East Lusatian]])}}</small>
| type              = Stadt
| image_skyline     = {{multiple image
| border = infobox
| perrow = 1/2/2/2
| total_width = 280
| align = center
| caption_align = center
| image1 = MKr361484 St. Peter und Paul (Görlitz).jpg
| caption1 = Sts. Peter and Paul Church and [[Lusatian Neisse]]
| image2 = Görlitz, Untermarkt, Westseite.jpg{{!}}Lower Market Square
| caption2 = [[Lower Market Square (Görlitz)|Lower Market Square]]
| image3 = Görlitz - widok na stare miasto - panoramio.jpg
| caption3 = towers of Görlitz
| image4 = Goerlitz-Untermarkt-01.jpg{{!}}Town Hall
| caption4 = [[Town Hall of Görlitz|Town hall]]
| image5 = Goerlitz karstadt lichthof.jpg{{!}}Department Store
| caption5 = [[Görlitz Department Store|Department Store]]
| image6 = OLB-Görlitz-04.JPG{{!}}Upper Lusatian Library of Sciences
| caption6 = [[Upper Lusatian Library of Sciences]]
| image7 = MKr361553 Konsulstraße Ecke Emmerichstraße (Görlitz).jpg
| caption7 = ''[[Gründerzeit]]'' streets of Görlitz }}
| image_flag = DEU_Görlitz_flag.svg
| image_coa         = Wappen Goerlitz vector.svg
| coordinates       = {{coord|51|09|10|N|14|59|14|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| image_plan        = Görlitz in GR.svg
| state             = Sachsen
| district          = Görlitz
| elevation         = 199
| area              = 67.52
| postal_code       = 02826–02828
| area_code         = 03581
| licence           = GR
| Gemeindeschlüssel = 14 6 26 110
| divisions         = 9 town- and 8 village-[[Quarter (country subdivision)|quarters]]
| website           = {{URL|www.goerlitz.de}}
| mayor             = [[Octavian Ursu (politician)|Octavian Ursu]]<ref>[https://wahlen.sachsen.de/buergermeisterwahl-2019-wahlergebnisse.php Wahlergebnisse 2019], Freistaat Sachsen, accessed 10 July 2021.</ref>
| leader_term       = 2019&ndash;26
| party             = CDU
}}
'''Görlitz''' ({{IPA|de|ˈɡœʁlɪts||LL-Q188 (deu)-Jeuwre-Görlitz.wav}}; {{langx|dsb|Zgórjelc}}; {{langx|hsb|Zhorjelc}} {{IPA|hsb|ˈzhɔʁʲɛlts||Zhorjelc.ogg}}; {{langx|pl|Zgorzelec}} {{IPA|pl|zɡɔˈʐɛ.lɛt͡s||audio=Pl-Zgorzelec.ogg}};{{efn|Since [[World War II]], the Polish name ''Zgorzelec'' has usually referred only to the eastern, Polish part of the city.|name=germanname}} {{langx|cs|Zhořelec}} {{IPA|cs|ˈzɦor̝ɛlɛt͡s|}}; [[Lusatian dialects|East Lusatian]]: {{Lang|mis|Gerlz}}, {{Lang|mis|Gerltz}}, {{Lang|mis|Gerltsch}})<ref>{{citation|surname1=G. Kießling|title=Blicke in die Mundart der südlichen Oberlausitz: Revidierter Abdruck aus dem 4. Jahresberichte des Königl. Seminars zu Löbau|publisher=Raschkem|publication-place=Zschopau|date=1883|language=German
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Hochzeit & Trauung &#124; Hochzeit in Europa|periodical=|publisher=|url=http://www.oberlausitzer-woerterbuch.de/buchstabe-g|url-status=|format=|access-date=2011-01-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222023100/http://www.oberlausitzer-woerterbuch.de/buchstabe-g|archive-date=22 December 2010|last=[[Hans Klecker]]|date=|year=|language=|pages=|quote=}}</ref> is a town in the German state of [[Saxony]]. It is on the river [[Lusatian Neisse]] and is the largest town in [[Upper Lusatia]], the second-largest town in the region of  [[Lusatia]] after [[Cottbus]], and the largest town in the German part of the region of [[Silesia]]. Görlitz is the easternmost town{{Efn|The easternmost village being [[Zentendorf]].}} in Germany and lies opposite the Polish town of [[Zgorzelec]], which was the eastern part of Görlitz until 1945. The town has approximately 56,000 inhabitants, which make Görlitz the [[List of cities in Saxony by population|sixth-largest town in Saxony]]. It is the seat of the [[Görlitz (district)|district of Görlitz]]. Together with Zgorzelec it forms the Euro City of Görlitz/Zgorzelec, which has a combined population of around 86,000. 

Görlitz, first mentioned in 1071, developed as a key trading town on the [[Via Regia]] route linking Western and Eastern Europe. In the [[Late Middle Ages]], it prospered through the cloth trade and became a member of the [[Lusatian League]], enjoying considerable autonomy. The town came under [[Lands of the Bohemian Crown|Bohemian]], [[Kingdom of Hungary|Hungarian]], [[Habsburg Empire|Austrian]] and [[Electorate of Saxony|Saxon]] rule before becoming part of [[Prussia]] in 1815 after the [[Congress of Vienna]]. During World War II, Görlitz was spared major destruction, but the new [[Oder–Neisse line]] in 1945 divided it from its eastern districts, which became Zgorzelec in Poland. In the [[East Germany|GDR era]], Görlitz was a border town with limited cross-border contact, but after [[German reunification]] and [[Poland and the European Union|Poland’s EU accession]], cooperation with Zgorzelec increased. Today, Görlitz is renowned for its well-preserved historic architecture and frequent use as a film location.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.morgenpost.de/reise/kleine-fluchten/article206737371/Hier-dreht-sich-alles-um-das-Drehen.html|title=Hier dreht sich alles um das Drehen|first=Marlis|last=Heinz|work=morgenpost.de|date=30 November 2015|access-date=7 April 2017}}</ref>

Görlitz is culturally diverse. Immediately to the west of Görlitz lie [[Sorbian languages|Sorbian]]-speaking parts of Lusatia, and Görlitz was founded and first settled by the Sorbs, a [[Slavs|Slavic]] people. This is evidenced by the name of the town and the etymology of some of its surrounding villages and geographical features being of [[Slavic languages|Slavic]] origin. Görlitz itself speaks the East Lusatian dialect of German (''{{Ill|Ostlausitzer Mundart|de}}''), which is related to [[Silesian German]] dialects and differs from the [[Upper Saxon]] dialects spoken in most parts of Saxony. It is home to the ''{{Ill|Schlesisches Himmelreich|de}}'' and ''{{Ill|Liegnitzer Bombe|de}}'', a [[Schönhof (Görlitz)|Silesian Museum]] ({{lang|de|Schlesisches Museum zu Görlitz}}), and the Silesian Christmas Market (''{{Ill|Schlesischer Christkindelmarkt|de}}'').

As of 2025, structural change, internationalisation, and transformation are central themes in the city’s development.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Beutler |first=Sebastian |date=2023-05-06 |title=Görlitzer OB: "Wir wollen internationaler werden" |url=https://www.saechsische.de/lokales/goerlitz-lk/goerlitzer-ob-wir-wollen-internationaler-werden-IYLNOMPN64XMJ3HWBWD5YKEKEQ.html |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=www.saechsische.de |language=de}}</ref> At the same time, Görlitz is increasingly developing into a science centre of supra-regional and international importance. In addition to the [[Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences]] (known as ''Lusatia''), which focuses on social change processes in both the technical and natural sciences as well as the social sciences, the [[Technical University of Dresden]] (University of Excellence), the [[Leipzig University|University of Leipzig]] and [[HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management|HHL]] are also active in Görlitz with branch offices, study programmes or research institutes. The city is also home to several Frauenhofer Institutes, research groups and labs, the [[Senckenberg Museum for Natural History Görlitz|Senkenberg]] Institute of Natural History, the CASUS Center of Advanced Systems Understanding,<ref>{{Cite web |title=CASUS – Center for Advanced Systems Understanding |url=https://www.casus.science/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250912225722/https://www.casus.science/ |archive-date=2025-09-12 |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=www.casus.science |language=en-US}}</ref> which belongs to the [[Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf|Helmholtz]] Association, the Interdisciplinary Centre for Ecological and Revitalising Urban Transformation (IZS),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Start - Interdisziplinären Zentrums für transformativen Stadtumbau |url=https://izs-goerlitz.ioer.de/ |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=izs-goerlitz.ioer.de}}</ref> which is part of the [[Leibniz Association|Leibniz]] Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development, and the German Centre for Astrophysics (DZA). The investment volume for the DZA alone amounts to 1.25 billion euros.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Deutsches Zentrum für Astrophysik in der Lausitz |url=https://www.all-electronics.de/markt/deutsches-zentrum-fuer-astrophysik-in-der-lausitz-708.html |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=all-electronics.de |language=de}}</ref> Görlitz is also home to the Oberlausitzische Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften (Upper Lusatian Society of Science), which was founded in 1779 and is one of the oldest German scientific societies. The influx from abroad, which has led to an international population share of almost 17%,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-09 |title=Fast 9.600 Ausländer leben in Görlitz |url=https://www.radiolausitz.de/beitrag/fast-9600-auslaender-leben-in-goerlitz-874503/ |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=www.radiolausitz.de |language=de}}</ref> is now having a positive effect on population development.

==History==
===Early Middle Ages===
[[File:Goerlitz Landeskrone 22.jpg|thumb|left|[[Landeskrone]] (Sedło), a hill that was the site of the main stronghold of the Slavic Bieżuńczanie tribe in the Early Middle Ages]]
Slavs migrated into the area during the [[Early Middle Ages]]. The nearby Landeskrone ({{langx|hsb|link=no|Sedło}}) mountain, as ''Businc'', is considered the main [[Gord (archaeology)|stronghold]] of the Bieżuńczanie tribe<ref name=wb/> and ''Gorelic'' is said to mean a small village. Other references state the origin of the name Görlitz is the Slavic word for 'burned land',<ref>"Placenames of the World" by Adrian Room, McFarland Pub. 2003 page 140</ref> referring to the technique used to clear land for settlement. Polish ''[[Zgorzelec]]'' and Czech ''Zhořelec'' have the same derivation.

In the Early Middle Ages, the area was inhabited by the Bieżuńczanie tribe,<ref name=wb>{{cite book|last=Bena|first=Waldemar|year=2006|title=Szlakiem grodzisk słowiańskich i średniowiecznych zamków|language=pl, de|location=Zgorzelec|pages=9–10}}</ref> one of the old [[Polish tribes]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://encyklopedia.interia.pl/historia/news-plemiona-polskie,nId,2084506|title=Plemiona polskie|website=Encyklopedia Internautica|access-date=18 September 2021|language=pl}}</ref> In the late 9th or 10th century, the Bieżuńczanie were subjugated by the [[Sorbs|Sorbian]] [[Milceni]] tribe, who bordered from the west,<ref>{{cite journal|last=Tyszkiewicz|first=Lech|year=1964|title=Zachodni sąsiedzi plemion śląskich|journal=Śląski Kwartalnik Historyczny Sobótka|publisher=[[Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich]]|location=Wrocław|language=pl|volume=XIX|issue=19|pages=16}}</ref> who in turn were subjugated in 990 by the [[Margraviate of Meissen]], a [[frontier march]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. The area was then conquered by Polish ruler [[Bolesław I the Brave]] in 1002 and formed part of Poland until 1031, after which the region fell back to the Margraviate of Meissen.

===Earliest record and urban formation===
Görlitz, as ''Goreliz'', was first mentioned in a document from the King of [[Kingdom of Germany|Germany]], and later [[Holy Roman Emperor]], [[Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry IV]] in 1071. This document granted Görlitz to the religious [[Diocese of Meissen]], then under Bishop Benno of [[Bishopric of Meissen|Meissen]]. This document can now be found in the Saxony State Archives in [[Dresden]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.findcity.de/02826ca/?p=00000002|archive-url=https://archive.today/20070520015435/http://www.findcity.de/02826ca/?p=00000002|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 May 2007|title=Deutschlands Städte, Gemeinden und Kreise online - FindCity|work=findcity.de|access-date=7 April 2017}}</ref> In 1075 the village was assigned to the [[Duchy of Bohemia]]. In 1126–1131 Bohemian Duke [[Soběslav I, Duke of Bohemia|Soběslav I]] erected a castle, one of several new castles on the Bohemian-Polish border. It may have been on the site of the present St Peter and Paul church.{{cn|date=August 2025}} The date the town was founded is unknown but in the 13th century the village gradually became a town. Owing to its location on the [[Via Regia]], an ancient and medieval trade route, the settlement prospered. In 1319 it became part of the [[Piast dynasty|Piast]]-ruled [[Duchy of Jawor]],<ref>{{Cite book|last=Bogusławski|first=Wilhelm|title=Rys dziejów serbo-łużyckich|year=1861|location=Petersburg|page=142|language=pl}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Orzechowski|first1=Kazimierz|last2=Przybytek|first2=Dariusz|last3=Ptak|first3=Marian|title=Dolny Śląsk. Podziały terytorialne od X do XX wieku|location=Wrocław|year=2008|language=pl|page=43|isbn=978-83-923255-5-0}}</ref> and Duke [[Henry I of Jawor]] confirmed the town's [[Privilege (law)|privileges]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.deutsche-biographie.de/pnd142400076.html#adbcontent|title=Heinrich I., Herzog von Schlesien|website=Deutsche-Biographie.de|access-date=31 October 2020|language=de}}</ref> In 1329, the town fell back to [[Kingdom of Bohemia|Bohemia]].

From 1346 Görlitz was a wealthy member of the [[Lusatian League]], which consisted of [[Bautzen]], Görlitz, [[Kamenz]], [[Lubań]], [[Löbau]] and [[Zittau]].<ref name=":0" /> Around 1348 a Jewish woman, [[Adasse (townswoman)|Adasse]], was made a citizen of the town.<ref>[https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2588800153/GVRL?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=ff9a0cc7 "Adasse (fl. 1348)."] In ''Dictionary of Women Worldwide: 25,000 Women Through the Ages'', edited by Anne Commire and Deborah Klezmer, 11. Vol. 1. Detroit, MI: Yorkin Publications, 2007. ''Gale eBooks'' (accessed 20 July 2021).</ref> In 1352 during the reign of Polish King [[Casimir III the Great]], Lusatian German colonists from Görlitz founded the town of [[Gorlice]] in southern Poland near [[Kraków]].{{cn|date=August 2025}} From 1377 to 1396 it was the capital of an eponymous duchy.<ref name=mgkl/> In 1469, along with the Lusatian League, the town recognized the rule of King [[Matthias Corvinus]], thus passing to [[Kingdom of Hungary|Hungarian]] rule, and in 1490 it reverted to Bohemia then ruled by [[Vladislaus II of Hungary]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Köhler|first=Gustav|title=Der Bund der Sechsstädte in der Ober-Lausitz: Eine Jubelschrift|year=1846|publisher=G. Heinze & Comp.|location=Görlitz|language=de|page=30}}</ref>

===Modern period===
[[File:Goerlitz 1575.jpg|thumb|left|Görlitz in the 16th century]]
The [[Protestant Reformation]] came to Görlitz in the early 1520s and by the last half of the 16th century, it and the surrounding vicinity, became almost completely Lutheran.

In 1623, during the [[Thirty Years' War]], the town was captured and occupied alternately by [[Swedish Empire|Sweden]] and the [[Holy Roman Empire]].<ref name=mgkl>{{cite book|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon, Band 8|year=1907|language=de|location=Leipzig|pages=138–139}}</ref> In 1635, the region of Upper Lusatia (including Görlitz) was ceded to the [[Electorate of Saxony]]. From 1639, the town was occupied by Sweden again, and then it was besieged by Imperial and Saxon forces in 1641.<ref name=mgkl/> After the war it was part of the Electorate of Saxony, from 1697 within the [[Personal union of Poland and Saxony|Polish–Saxon personal union]]. One of two main routes connecting [[Warsaw]] and [[Dresden]] ran through the town in the 18th century and Kings [[Augustus II the Strong]] and [[Augustus III of Poland]] often travelled that route.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dresden-warszawa.eu/pl/prolog/informacja-historyczna/|title=Informacja historyczna|website=Dresden-Warszawa|access-date=31 October 2020|language=pl}}</ref> [[Napoleon]] visited the town several times in 1807, 1812 and 1813.

After the [[Napoleonic Wars]], the 1815 [[Congress of Vienna]] transferred the town from the [[Kingdom of Saxony]] to the [[Kingdom of Prussia]]. Görlitz was subsequently administered within the [[Province of Silesia]] and, after [[World War I]], the [[Province of Lower Silesia]], until 1945. During World War I an [[internment]] camp for [[Greeks|Greek]] soldiers was located in present-day Zgorzelec, whilst 500 Greek officers lived in private quarters throughout the town.<ref name=lro>{{cite web|url=https://www.lr-online.de/lausitz/weisswasser/als-tausende-griechen-in-goerlitz-zuflucht-suchten-36825432.html|title=Als Tausende Griechen in Görlitz Zuflucht suchten|website=LR Online|date=8 October 2016|access-date=12 December 2020|language=de}}</ref> A burial ground for Greek soldiers was located in the local cemetery.<ref name=lro/>

===Interbellum and World War II===
Shortly after the [[Nazi Party]]'s rise to power, in March 1933, the [[Sturmabteilung|SA]] established the Leschwitz concentration camp in Leschwitz (present-day district of Weinhübel).<ref name=sae>{{cite web|url=https://www.saechsische.de/plus/eine-schlichte-tafel-erinnert-an-das-unermessliche-leid-im-kz-leschwitz-2359268.html|title=Eine schlichte Tafel erinnert an das unermessliche Leid im KZ Leschwitz|website=saechsische.de|access-date=31 October 2020|language=de}}</ref> Political prisoners were held and tortured in the camp before it was dissolved in August 1933 and the prisoners were deported to other [[Nazi concentration camps|concentration camps]].<ref name=sae/> In 1936, during a nationwide Nazi campaign of changing of placenames, two present-day districts of Görlitz were renamed to erase traces of [[West Slavs|Slavic]] origin—Leschwitz to ''Weinhübel'' and Nikrisch to ''Hagenwerder''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goerlitzer-anzeiger.de/goerlitz/verkehr/12219_strassensperrung.html|title=Straßensperrung|website=Görlitzer Anzeiger|access-date=12 December 2020|language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goerlitzer-anzeiger.de/goerlitz/verkehr/11171_bruecke-in-hagenwerder-wird-komplett-erneuert.html|title=Brücke in Hagenwerder wird komplett erneuert|website=Görlitzer Anzeiger|access-date=31 October 2020|language=de}}</ref> On [[Kristallnacht]] in November 1938 an arson attack was carried out on the [[Görlitz Synagogue|city's synagogue]]. However the building survived the attack without major damage because firefighters resisted the order not to extinguish the fire.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.juedische-allgemeine.de/unsere-woche/jugendstil-ohne-juden/|title=Jugendstil ohne Juden|website=juedische-allgemeine.de|date=November 2020|language=de|access-date=21 November 2020}}</ref> It is the only synagogue in the present state of Saxony that survived Nazi rule.<ref name=jta>{{cite web|url=https://www.jta.org/2021/07/13/global/in-a-german-city-with-30-jews-a-restored-art-deco-synagogue-will-house-interfaith-efforts|title=In a German city with 30 Jews, a restored Art Deco synagogue will house interfaith efforts|website=Jewish Telegraphic Agency|author=Toby Alexrod|date=13 July 2021 |access-date=20 November 2021}}</ref> In the [[interwar period]] most of the Jews had left the city and their number dropped from 567 in 1925 to 134 in 1939.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.verwaltungsgeschichte.de/goerlitz.html|title=Stadt un Landkreis Görlitz|publisher=Verwaltungsgeschichte.de |access-date=26 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903050644/http://www.verwaltungsgeschichte.de/goerlitz.html|archive-date=3 September 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> Many remaining Jews were then killed in the [[Holocaust]] during [[World War II]].<ref name=jta/>

[[File:Denkmal Biesnitzer Grund Goerlitz.JPG|thumb|Memorial to the victims of the AL Görlitz [[List of subcamps of Gross-Rosen|subcamp]] of [[Gross-Rosen concentration camp|Gross-Rosen]] in Biesnitz]]
During World War II, a Nazi prison was operated in the town, with four [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]] subcamps within the town limits and three in nearby villages.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=1557|title=Gefängnis Görlitz|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=31 October 2020|language=de}}</ref> The Nazis also established and operated two [[List of subcamps of Gross-Rosen|subcamps]] of the [[Gross-Rosen concentration camp]], located in present-day districts of Biesnitz and Kunnerwitz, in which over 1,500 [[Jews|Jewish]] men and women were used as forced labour, and 470 of whom died.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.gross-rosen.eu/historia-kl-gross-rosen/filie-obozu-gross-rosen/|title=Subcamps of KL Gross- Rosen|website=Gross-Rosen Museum in Rogoźnica|access-date=31 October 2020}}</ref> Numerous subcamps of the [[Stalag VIII-A]] [[German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II|prisoner-of-war camp]] were located in the town, in which over 10,000 POWs worked as forced labour in 1942, and one of the largest subcamps was located in nearby Weinhübel (district of Görlitz since 1949).<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Lusek|first1=Joanna|last2=Goetze|first2=Albrecht|year=2011|title=Stalag VIII A Görlitz. Historia – teraźniejszość – przyszłość|journal=Łambinowicki rocznik muzealny|location=[[Opole]]|language=pl|volume=34|pages=42–43}}</ref> After the Soviet offensive of 1944 and the partial evacuation of the German court staff from the [[General Government]] in [[Occupation of Poland (1939–1945)|German-occupied Poland]], a special court of the General Government was established at the local courthouse.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Wrzyszcz|first=Andrzej|year=2008|title=Z badań nad ewakuacją organów resortu sprawiedliwości Generalnego Gubernatorstwa w latach 1944–1945|journal=Studia z dziejów państwa i prawa polskiego|location=[[Kraków]]|language=pl|volume=XI|page=270}}</ref> Several Polish citizens were detained in Görlitz and sentenced to prison or death at this court for [[Rescue of Jews by Poles during the Holocaust|rescuing Jews from the Holocaust]].<ref>{{cite book|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Rejestr faktów represji na obywatelach polskich za pomoc ludności żydowskiej w okresie II wojny światowej|year=2014|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=[[Institute of National Remembrance|IPN]]|pages=68–69, 78, 81}}</ref>

Near the end of World War II German troops destroyed all bridges crossing the [[Lusatian Neisse]]. The redrawing of boundaries in 1945—in particular the location of the East German-Polish border to the present [[Oder-Neisse line]]—divided the town. The right bank became part of Poland and was initially renamed Zgorzelice, and then Zgorzelec in 1948, with both names being historically used in the Polish language,<ref name=mgkl/><ref>{{cite map|author=Wojskowy Instytut Geograficzny|title=Mapa Operacyjna Polski|map=Görlitz (Zgorzelice)|year=1925|scale=1:300,000|language=pl}}</ref><ref>{{cite map|author=Wojskowy Instytut Geograficzny|title=Mapa Operacyjna Polski|map=Zgorzelec (Görlitz)|year=1935|scale=1:300,000|language=pl}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Jordan|first=Jan Pětr|year=1845|title=Vollständiges Taschenwörterbuch der polnischen und deutschen Sprache/Dokładny słowniczek polsko-niemiecki i niemiecko-polski|language=pl,de|location=Leipzig|page=706}}</ref> while the main portion on the left bank became part of [[East Germany]], now within the state of Saxony.

On 12 June 1945 the city issued a set of four of its own postage stamps.{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}

===German Democratic Republic and reunited Germany===
[[File:Goerlitz Panorama mit Peterskirche.jpg|thumb|St. Peter and Paul in December 2004]]
When the [[East Germany|East German]] states were dissolved in 1952 Görlitz became part of the [[Dresden (Bezirk)|Dresden District]], but the states were restored on [[German reunification]] in 1990. In 1972 the East German-Polish border was opened for visa-free travel, resulting in intense movement between Görlitz and Zgorzelec, which lasted until 1980,{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} when East Germany unilaterally closed the border because of anti-communist protests and the emergence of the [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity]] movement in Poland. On 27 June 1994 the town became the seat of the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Görlitz]], but it remains a [[Lutheran]] Protestant stronghold. In 2002 [[Lake Berzdorf]], occupying a former open-cast lignite mine south of Görlitz, began to be filled.

The ''Altstadtbrücke'' (literally ''old town bridge'') between Görlitz and sister city Zgorzelec was rebuilt between 2003 and 2004. It was officially opened on 20 October 2004. As soon as Poland signed the [[Schengen Agreement]] (20 December 2007), movement between the two banks of the river again became unrestricted, since border controls were eliminated. Indeed, users of the new pedestrian bridge are not informed by any signs that they are leaving one country and entering another. Today Görlitz and Zgorzelec are well connected.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Presseportal |url=https://www.presseportal.de/pm/158511/5495783 }}</ref> A bus line connects the German and Polish parts of the town and there is a common urban management, with annual joint sessions of both town councils.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}

Since reunification and as of 2013, more than 700 buildings in Görlitz have been renovated. It is a popular place for retirement among the elderly of Germany, being quiet and relatively affordable by German standards.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goerlitzer-anzeiger.de/goerlitz/gesellschaft/16258_warum-goerlitz-fuer-aeltere-menschen-so-attraktiv-ist.html|title=Warum Görlitz für ältere Menschen so attraktiv ist|date=10 June 2019 |website=goerlitzer-anzeiger.de |publisher=Görlitzer Anzeiger |access-date=3 May 2020}}</ref> Its tourist potential is rapidly expanding since it is very much an eastern counterpart to towns such as [[Heidelberg]].{{citation needed|date=February 2017}} In the case of Görlitz much of the funding for the renovations of the town's buildings has come from an anonymous donor, who, since 1995, has sent an annual donation of more than [[Euro|€]]500,000, totalling more than €10,000,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dw.com/en/g%C3%B6rlitz-generous-donor/av-16763697|title=Görlitz' Generous Donor|date=23 April 2013 |website=dw.com |publisher=[[Deutsche Welle]] |access-date=1 May 2017}}</ref>

In 2021, the surviving [[Görlitz Synagogue|old synagogue]] was reopened.<ref name=jta/>

==Arts and culture==
[[File:Goerlitz-Untermarkt 24 23 von Suedosten-20110627.jpg|thumb|[[Lower Market Square (Görlitz)|Lower Market Square]]]]
[[File:Obermarkt (Görlitz) 01(js).jpg|thumb|[[Upper Market Square (Görlitz)|Upper Market Square]]]]

Görlitz has a rich architectural heritage ([[Gothic architecture|Gothic]], [[Renaissance architecture|Renaissance]], [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]], Neoclassical and Art Nouveau). One example of this heritage is the [[Schönhof (Görlitz)|Schönhof]], one of the oldest civic Renaissance buildings in Germany. Another medieval heritage is a model of the [[Holy Sepulchre (Görlitz)|Holy Sepulchre]]<small> ([[:de:Heiliges Grab (Görlitz)|de]])</small> the construction of which began in 1465 under [[Burgomaster|Bürgermeister]] Georg Emmerich.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Herbers|first1=Klaus|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n3I9bmtvoDEC&q=Emmerich+1465|title=Der Jakobuskult in Ostmitteleuropa: Austausch - Einflüsse - Wirkungen|last2=Bauer|first2=Dieter R.|date=2003|publisher=Gunter Narr Verlag|isbn=978-3-8233-4012-6|pages=279|language=de}}</ref>

In 2006, the [[Twin cities (geographical proximity)|twin cities]] of Görlitz and Zgorzelec applied to be the [[European City of Culture]] for 2010. It was hoped that the concept of Polish-German cooperation would be sufficient to convince the jury, but [[Essen]] won and Görlitz was placed second. As a result of the campaign Görlitz was renamed the ''City of Culture'' in order to further German-Polish relations and to attract tourists from all over the world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/german-research-project-offers-one-week-of-free-living/a-3641146|title=German Research Project Offers One Week of Free Living &#124; DW &#124; 14.09.2008|website=DW.COM a|access-date=18 April 2020}}</ref>

As Görlitz was part of [[Silesia]] from 1815 onward, it has a Silesian Museum dedicated to the region ({{lang|de|Schlesisches Museum zu Görlitz}}). The exhibition features the 1000-year-old cultural history of Silesia.

Görlitz is also the birthplace of the German version of [[nonpareils]], popularly known in Germany as {{lang|de|Liebesperlen}} ([[German language|German]] for ''love pearls''). Invented by confectioner Rudolf Hoinkis (1876&ndash;1944), the name derives from a conversation Hoinkis had with his wife, proclaiming his love for her was like these 'pearls', the nonpareil. Unsure of what to call the treat he invented, his wife suggested calling them love pearls and the name stuck. The factory where he first manufactured the treat, founded in 1896, is now run by his great-grandson, Mathias.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dw.com/en/nonpareil-sweet-treat-from-g%C3%B6rlitz/av-19221474|title=Nonpareil - sweet treat from Görlitz|date=28 April 2016|website=dw.com|publisher=[[Deutsche Welle]]|access-date=1 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201034145/http://www.dw.com/en/nonpareil-sweet-treat-from-g%C3%B6rlitz/av-19221474|archive-date=1 December 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Film location===
Due to the historical parts of the city, many movie-makers have used the various sites as locations. [[Eli Roth]] shot the movie-in-a-movie ''[[Nation's Pride]]'' ({{lang|de|Stolz der Nation}}) for [[Quentin Tarantino]]'s ''[[Inglourious Basterds]]'' (which incidentally purports to be France) in the [[Lower Market Square (Görlitz)|Lower Market Square]] and [[Upper Market Square (Görlitz)|Upper Market Square]] in the oldest parts of the city.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Duke|first1=Alan|title='Basterds' pro-Nazi short made by a Jewish director - CNN.com|url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/08/11/tarantino.nazi.film/index.html|access-date=7 April 2017|publisher=CNN|date=11 August 2009|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title='Newcomer Görlitz', das Stadtportrait für das MYSELF Magazin - Fotos Christian KERBER c/o SOLAR UND FOTOGRAFEN|url=http://www.gosee.de/news/editorial/-newcomer-goerlitz-das-stadtportrait-fuer-das-myself-magazin-fotos-christian-kerber-c-o-solar-und-fotografen-34306|access-date=7 April 2017|work=Gosee|date=22 April 2016|language=de}}</ref> Other films shot in Görlitz include the 2013 war drama ''[[The Book Thief (film)|The Book Thief]]'' and the teen years in ''[[The Reader]]''. Görlitz was used as the primary shooting location for the [[Wes Anderson]] film ''[[The Grand Budapest Hotel]]'', with Görlitz standing in for a resort in the fictional Eastern European country of Zubrowka. A vacant department store in the city was redecorated to serve as the hotel itself.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/wes-andersons-new-movie-has-a-distributor-plot-95750|title=Wes Anderson's new movie has a distributor, plot|date=28 March 2013|work=The A.V. Club|access-date=7 April 2017}}</ref>

===Sport===
The town is represented by the [[association football|football]] club [[Gelb-Weiss Görlitz]].

==Geography==
Görlitz is situated on the border with Poland, adjacent to the Polish town of [[Zgorzelec]] on the opposite bank of the [[Lusatian Neisse]]. The municipality measures {{cvt|19.4|km}} from north to south, and {{cvt|7.3|km}} from east to west.<ref name=ot>[https://www.goerlitz.de/Stadt-_Ortsteile.html Die Stadt Görlitz und ihre Stadt- und Ortsteile], Stadt Görlitz, accessed 12 October 2021.</ref> Its area is {{cvt|67.52|km2}}.<ref>[https://www.regionalstatistik.de/genesis//online?operation=table&code=11111-01-01-5&bypass=true&levelindex=1&levelid=1634045114562#abreadcrumb Gebietsfläche in qkm - Stichtag 31.12. - regionale Tiefe: Gemeinden], Statistische Ämter des Bundes und der Länder</ref>

===Divisions===
Görlitz is divided into 9 ''Stadtteile'' (town divisions) and 8 ''Ortsteile'' (formerly independent municipalities). These are:<ref name=ot/>
*Stadtteile: Historische Altstadt, Innenstadt, Nikolaivorstadt, Südstadt, Rauschwalde, Biesnitz, Weinhübel, Königshufen and Klingewalde
*Ortsteile: Ober-Neundorf, [[Ludwigsdorf (Görlitz)|Ludwigsdorf]], Schlauroth, Kunnerwitz, Klein Neundorf, Deutsch-Ossig, Hagenwerder and Tauchritz

===Transport===
[[File:Bahnhof Görlitz.jpg|thumb|Görlitz Main Railway Station]]
[[Görlitz station]] is on the [[Berlin–Görlitz railway|Berlin – Görlitz]] and the [[Dresden–Görlitz railway|Dresden&ndash;Görlitz lines]] of [[Deutsche Bahn]]. The station also provides an international connection to [[Wrocław]], Poland.

The nearest airports are [[Dresden Airport]] which is {{convert|102|km|mi|abbr=on}} away and [[Wrocław Airport]] which is {{convert|174|km|mi|abbr=on}} away.

Local public transport is provided by:
* The [[Verkehrsgesellschaft Görlitz]] (VGG) provides public transport service in the city, including the [[Görlitz tramway]] and bus services.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.vgg-goerlitz.de/ | title = Willkommen | publisher = Verkehrsgesellschaft Görlitz GmbH | language = de | access-date = 20 February 2015 | archive-date = 8 January 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190108134613/https://www.vgg-goerlitz.de/ | url-status = dead }}</ref>
* The [[Przedsiębiorstwo Komunikacji Samochodowej]] (PKS) provides bus service over the river between Görlitz and its sister city, Zgorzelec.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.pks.zgorzelec.pl | title = Informacje bieżące | language = pl | trans-title = Current Information | url-status=dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120310214648/http://www.pks.zgorzelec.pl/ | archive-date = 10 March 2012 | access-date = 23 June 2010 | publisher = Polnische Verkehrsgesellschaft (Polish Transport Company)}}</ref>

===Climate===
The climate is [[Oceanic climate|oceanic]] (Köppen: ''Cfb'') or on the western edge of [[Humid continental climate|humid continental]] (''Dfb'') at the 0&nbsp;°C isotherm. The location on the easternmost border of Germany, far from the sea, gives a climate less affected by prevailing westerly winds although these do reach further into the western half of Poland. Summers can be warm, though not as much as in [[Southern Europe]], and the winters are cold; snow is sporadic, not persisting all winter.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=99401&cityname=Gorlitz,+Germany|title=Gorlitz, Germany Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)|website=Weatherbase|access-date=1 February 2019}}</ref>

The Görlitz weather station has recorded the following extreme values:<ref name=sklima/>
* Its highest temperature was {{convert|37.9|C|F}} on 7 August 2015.
* Its lowest temperature was {{convert|-30.8|C|F}} on 9 February 1956.
* Its greatest annual precipitation was {{convert|1013.7|mm|in|abbr=on}} in 1939.
* Its least annual precipitation was {{convert|362.4|mm|in|abbr=on}} in 1943.
* The longest annual sunshine was 2,162.5 hours in 2011.
* The shortest annual sunshine was 1,368.3 hours in 1977.

{{Weather box	
|location = Görlitz (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1860–present)	
|metric first = Y	
|single line = Y	
|Jan record high C = 16.0
|Feb record high C = 17.0
|Mar record high C = 23.3
|Apr record high C = 30.2
|May record high C = 33.2
|Jun record high C = 35.7
|Jul record high C = 35.9
|Aug record high C = 37.9
|Sep record high C = 33.4
|Oct record high C = 26.0
|Nov record high C = 19.2
|Dec record high C = 16.3
|Jan avg record high C = 9.8
|Feb avg record high C = 11.3
|Mar avg record high C = 17.0
|Apr avg record high C = 23.3
|May avg record high C = 26.9
|Jun avg record high C = 30.4
|Jul avg record high C = 32.0
|Aug avg record high C = 31.7
|Sep avg record high C = 26.3
|Oct avg record high C = 21.1
|Nov avg record high C = 14.4
|Dec avg record high C = 10.3
|year avg record high C = 33.4
|Jan high C = 2.2
|Feb high C = 3.7
|Mar high C = 8.0
|Apr high C = 14.2
|May high C = 18.7
|Jun high C = 22.0
|Jul high C = 24.2
|Aug high C = 24.1
|Sep high C = 18.8
|Oct high C = 13.1
|Nov high C = 7.2
|Dec high C = 3.2
|year high C = 13.3
|Jan mean C = -0.2
|Feb mean C = 0.9
|Mar mean C = 4.1
|Apr mean C = 9.3
|May mean C = 13.6
|Jun mean C = 16.9
|Jul mean C = 18.9
|Aug mean C = 18.6
|Sep mean C = 14.1
|Oct mean C = 9.4
|Nov mean C = 4.6
|Dec mean C = 1.0
|year mean C = 9.3
|Jan low C = -2.8
|Feb low C = -2.1
|Mar low C = 0.4
|Apr low C = 4.0
|May low C = 8.0
|Jun low C = 11.4
|Jul low C = 13.4
|Aug low C = 13.2
|Sep low C = 9.6
|Oct low C = 5.7
|Nov low C = 1.9
|Dec low C = -1.3
|year low C = 5.1
|Jan avg record low C = -13.5
|Feb avg record low C = -10.8
|Mar avg record low C = -6.2
|Apr avg record low C = -2.4
|May avg record low C = 2.1
|Jun avg record low C = 6.2
|Jul avg record low C = 8.4
|Aug avg record low C = 7.8
|Sep avg record low C = 3.5
|Oct avg record low C = -1.2
|Nov avg record low C = -5.0
|Dec avg record low C = -10.0
|year avg record low C = -15.6
|Jan record low C = -27.5
|Feb record low C = -30.8
|Mar record low C = -21.9
|Apr record low C = -9.3
|May record low C = -3.3
|Jun record low C = 0.2
|Jul record low C = 3.9
|Aug record low C = 4.0
|Sep record low C = -1.4
|Oct record low C = -6.2
|Nov record low C = -15.0
|Dec record low C = -24.4
|precipitation colour = green	
|Jan precipitation mm = 44.0
|Feb precipitation mm = 35.4
|Mar precipitation mm = 48.5
|Apr precipitation mm = 36.2
|May precipitation mm = 59.1
|Jun precipitation mm = 69.4
|Jul precipitation mm = 89.1
|Aug precipitation mm = 78.5
|Sep precipitation mm = 54.6
|Oct precipitation mm = 46.0
|Nov precipitation mm = 42.8
|Dec precipitation mm = 42.7
|year precipitation mm = 646.2
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm	
|Jan precipitation days = 16.7
|Feb precipitation days = 14.9
|Mar precipitation days = 15.7
|Apr precipitation days = 12.1
|May precipitation days = 13.9
|Jun precipitation days = 13.9
|Jul precipitation days = 14.0
|Aug precipitation days = 12.9
|Sep precipitation days = 12.5
|Oct precipitation days = 13.6
|Nov precipitation days = 14.5
|Dec precipitation days = 16.1
|year precipitation days = 170.7
|Jan snow depth cm = 12.1
|Feb snow depth cm = 11.0
|Mar snow depth cm = 6.4
|Apr snow depth cm = 1.0
|May snow depth cm = 0
|Jun snow depth cm = 0
|Jul snow depth cm = 0
|Aug snow depth cm = 0
|Sep snow depth cm = 0
|Oct snow depth cm = 0.3
|Nov snow depth cm = 3.5
|Dec snow depth cm = 8.8
|year snow depth cm = 18.9
|unit snow days = 1.0 cm
|Jan snow days = 14.3
|Feb snow days = 11.5
|Mar snow days = 5.4
|Apr snow days = 0.9
|May snow days = 0
|Jun snow days = 0
|Jul snow days = 0
|Aug snow days = 0
|Sep snow days = 0
|Oct snow days = 0.1
|Nov snow days = 2.5
|Dec snow days = 8.6
|year snow days = 	
|Jan sun = 61.3
|Feb sun = 82.8
|Mar sun = 132.0
|Apr sun = 192.7
|May sun = 227.1
|Jun sun = 227.1
|Jul sun = 236.2
|Aug sun = 228.3
|Sep sun = 165.8
|Oct sun = 122.7
|Nov sun = 67.7
|Dec sun = 56.3
|year sun = 1791.5
|humidity colour = green
|Jan humidity = 84.0
|Feb humidity = 80.6
|Mar humidity = 76.4
|Apr humidity = 68.9
|May humidity = 70.3
|Jun humidity = 70.4
|Jul humidity = 69.2
|Aug humidity = 69.8
|Sep humidity = 76.4
|Oct humidity = 80.6
|Nov humidity = 84.9
|Dec humidity = 84.9
|source 1 = [[World Meteorological Organization]]<ref name=WMO>{{cite web
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231012154816/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Germany/CSV/Gera-Leumnitz_10567.csv
|archive-date = 12 October 2023
|url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Germany/CSV/Gera-Leumnitz_10567.csv
|title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020
|work = World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020)
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|access-date = 12 October 2023}}</ref>
|source 2 = [[Deutscher Wetterdienst]] / SKlima.de<ref name=sklima>{{cite web 
|url = http://sklima.de/datenbank_auswertung.php?tab=2
|title = Monatsauswertung 
|website = sklima.de 
|publisher = SKlima 
|language = de 
|access-date = 18 October 2024}}</ref>}}

==Governance==
===Mayor and city council===
[[File:Goerlitz-Neues Rathaus von Osten-20110626.jpg|thumb|[[Town Hall of Görlitz|The New Town Hall]]]]
The first freely elected mayor after German reunification was [[Matthias Lechner]] of the [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]] (CDU), who served from 1990 to 1998. The mayor was originally chosen by the city council, but since 1994 has been directly elected. [[Rolf Karbaum]] served from 1998 until 2005, [[Joachim Paulick]] from 2005 to 2012, and [[Siegfried Deinege]] from 2012 to 2019; all were [[Independent politician|independents]]. In 2019, CDU politician [[Octavian Ursu]] was elected mayor. The most recent mayoral election was held on 26 May 2019, with a runoff held on 16 June, and the results were as follows:

{{election table}}
! rowspan=2 colspan=2| Candidate
! rowspan=2| Party
! colspan=2| First round
! colspan=2| Second round
|-
! Votes
! %
! Votes
! %
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Alternative for Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Sebastian Wippel]]
| align=left| [[Alternative for Germany]]
| '''9,710'''
| '''36.4'''
| 11,390
| 44.8
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}}| 
| align=left| '''[[Octavian Ursu]]'''
| align=left| [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]]
| 8,077
| 30.3
| '''14,043'''
| '''55.2'''
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Alliance 90/The Greens}}| 
| align=left| Franziska Schubert
| align=left| [[Alliance 90/The Greens|Green]]/BfG/MG/[[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]]/[[Die PARTEI|PARTEI]]
| 7,436
| 27.9
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}| 
| align=left| Jana Lübeck
| align=left| [[The Left (Germany)|The Left]]
| 1,470
| 5.5
|-
! colspan=3| Valid votes
! 26,693
! 98.7
! 25,433
! 98.6
|-
! colspan=3| Invalid votes
! 339
! 1.3
! 370
! 1.4
|-
! colspan=3| Total
! 27,032
! 100.0
! 25,803
! 100.0
|-
! colspan=3| Electorate/voter turnout
! 46,120
! 58.6
! 46,135
! 55.9
|-
| colspan=7| Source: [https://wahlen.sachsen.de/buergermeisterwahl-ueberblick-wahlergebnisse.php?landkreis=14626&gemeinde=14626110&_ptabs=%7B%22%23tab-wahlgang_eins%22%3A1%7D Wahlen in Sachsen]
|}

The most recent city council election was held on 6 June 2024, and the results were as follows:

{{election table}}
! colspan=2| Party
! Votes
! %
! +/-
! Seats
! +/-
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Alternative for Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Alternative for Germany]] (AfD)
| 28,496
| 37.2
| {{increase}} 6.4
| 14
| {{increase}} 1
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]] (CDU)
| 19,765
| 25.8
| {{increase}} 3.8
| 10
| {{increase}} 1
|-
| 
| align=left| Citizens for Görlitz (BfG)
| 10,679
| 13.9
| {{decrease}} 3.6
| 5
| {{decrease}} 2
|-
| 
| align=left| Motor Görlitz (MG)
| 6,266
| 8.2
| {{increase}} 2.5
| 3
| {{increase}} 1
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}| 
| align=left| [[The Left (Germany)|The Left]] (Die Linke)
| 4,727
| 6.2
| {{decrease}} 2.3
| 2
| {{decrease}} 1
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Alliance 90/The Greens}}| 
| align=left| [[Alliance 90/The Greens]] (Grüne)
| 3,309
| 4.3
| {{decrease}} 3.3
| 2
| {{decrease}} 1
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]] (SPD)
| 1,951
| 2.5
| {{increase}} 0.2
| 1
| {{steady}} 0
|-
| bgcolor=169340| 
| align=left| [[Freie Sachsen|Free Saxons]]
| 1,377
| 1.8
| New
| 1
| New
|-
! colspan=2| Valid votes
! 76,570
! 100.0
! 
! 
! 
|-
! colspan=2| Invalid ballots
! 428
! 1.6
! 
! 
! 
|-
! colspan=2| Total ballots
! 26,964
! 100.0
! 
! 38
! ±0
|-
! colspan=2| Electorate/voter turnout
! 45,068
! 59.8
! {{increase}} 1.1
! 
! 
|-
| colspan="7"| Source: [https://www.goerlitz.de/uploads/WahlergebnisStadtratswahl_Goerlitz_09.06.2024.pdf City of Görlitz]
|}

==Twin towns&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;sister cities==
[[File:18-09-29-Görlitz-RalfR-DJI 0418.jpg|thumb|Görlitz seen from its twin town [[Zgorzelec]], Poland]]
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany}}
Görlitz is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Städtepartnerschaften|url=https://www.goerlitz.de/Partnerstaedte.html|website=goerlitz.de|publisher=Görlitz|language=de|access-date=3 February 2021}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Amiens]], France
* {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Molfetta]], Italy
* {{flagicon|CZE}} [[Nový Jičín]], Czech Republic
* {{flagicon|GER}} [[Wiesbaden]], Germany
* {{flagicon|POL}} [[Zgorzelec]], Poland

Being the easternmost town in the country, Görlitz has formed a 'Compass Alliance' ({{lang|de|Zipfelbund}}) with the northernmost, westernmost and southernmost towns, [[List, Schleswig-Holstein|List]], [[Selfkant]] and [[Oberstdorf]] respectively. They participate in the annual [[German Unity Day]] celebrations to represent the modern limits of Germany.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.zipfelbund.de/tag-deutschen-einheit.html|title=Tag der Deutschen Einheit|website=zipfelbund.de|language=de|access-date=30 April 2020}}</ref>

==Notable people==
[[File:Michael Ballack 2009 cropped.jpg|thumb|Michael Ballack]]
* [[Adasse (money lender)|Adasse]] (fl.1348), money lender
* [[Michael Ballack]] (born 1976), football player
* [[Jakob Böhme]] (1575&ndash;1624), mystic and theologian
* [[Johann Christoph Brotze]] (1742&ndash;1823), educator
* [[Hans Georg Dehmelt]] (1922&ndash;2017), co-recipient of the 1989 [[Nobel Prize in Physics]]
* [[Hans-Jürgen Dörner]] (1951&ndash;2022), football player and coach
* [[Werner Finck]] (1902&ndash;1978), comedian, actor and writer
* [[Richard Foerster (classical scholar)]] (1843&ndash;1922), classical scholar
* [[Johann Carl Gehler]] (1732&ndash;1796) physician, anatomist and mineralogist
* [[Gottlob Harrer]] (1703–1755), composer 
* [[Clara Hepner]] (1860&ndash;1939), German-Jewish writer
* [[Torsten Gütschow]] (born 1962), football player
* [[Herbert Hirche]] (1910&ndash;2002), architect and designer
* [[Hanna von Hoerner]] (1942&ndash;2014), astrophysicist
* [[Emil Jannings]] (1884&ndash;1950), first actor to win the [[Academy Award for Best Actor]]
* [[Jens Jeremies]] (born 1974), football player
* [[Reinhart Koselleck]] (1923&ndash;2006), historian
* [[Michael Kretschmer]] (born 1975), politician (CDU), [[List of ministers-president of Saxony|Minister President of Saxony]]
* [[Lars Kaufmann]] (born 1982), handball player
* [[Selma Lohse]] (1883&ndash;1937), politician
* [[Oskar Morgenstern]] (1902&ndash;1977), economist
* [[Gustavus Adolphus Neumann]] (1807&ndash;1886), publisher
* [[Arthur Pohl]] (1900&ndash;1970), set designer, director and screenwriter
* [[Hans Ulrich Rudel]] (1916&ndash;1982) highly decorated WWII pilot for Nazi Germany 
* [[Pavle Jurišić Šturm]] (1848&ndash;1922), Serbian Army general, born in Görlitz
* [[Alfred Wagenknecht]] (1881&ndash;1956), American Marxist politician
* [[Sebastian Wippel]] (born 1982), politician
* [[Giorgio Zur]] (1930&ndash;2019), Catholic Archbishop and Apostolic Nuncio in Austria

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Peterskirche Goerlitz.jpg|St. Peter and Paul church, the [[Woad House (Görlitz)|Woad House]] and the river [[Lusatian Neisse]] in Görlitz
File:Görlitz Peterskirche Orgel.jpg|Interior of St. Peter and Paul with its ''Sonnenorgel'' (sun organ)
File:Goerlitz-Schoenhof von Westen-20110626.jpg|The [[Schönhof (Görlitz)|Schönhof]], the oldest Renaissance building in Görlitz
File:Görlitz-Karstadt-Jugendstil.jpg|Interior of the ''[[Görlitz Department Store|Görlitzer Warenhaus]]'' department store
File:Obermarkt Görlitz @20201001 b.jpg|View over [[Upper Market Square (Görlitz)|Upper Market Square]] taken from [[Reichenbach Tower (Görlitz)|Reichenbach Tower]], residential buildings of [[Zgorzelec]] in the background
File:Görlitz Altes Rathaus am Untermarkt.JPG|[[Town Hall of Görlitz|Old town hall]] on the [[Lower Market Square (Görlitz)|Lower Market Square]]
File:Görlitz - Brüderstraße - Altes Rathaus - Corvinuswappen 02 ies.jpg|Royal coats of arms of Hungarian King [[Matthias Corvinus]] ([[Town Hall of Görlitz|Old Town Hall]])
File:Görlitz - Obermarkt13-Reichenbacher Turm 02 ies.jpg|[[Reichenbach Tower (Görlitz)|Reichenbach Tower]]
File:Görlitz - Postplatz - Gericht 06 ies.jpg|Courthouse
File:Landeskrone view from zgorzelec.JPG|The Landeskrone, literally "land's crown", the local mountain of Görlitz
File:Gerh'HauptmannTheather Görlitz.jpg|Theatre
File:Dreifaltigkeitskirche Goerlitz.jpg|Gothic Holy Trinity church
File:Görlitz - Marienplatz - Frauenturm 04 ies.jpg|[[Thick Tower (Görlitz)|Thick Tower]]
File:Nikolaikirchhof_Görlitz_01.jpg|[[Nikolai Cemetery (Görlitz)|Nikolai Cemetery]]
File:Görlitz-Nikolaistr.JPG|[[Nikolai Tower (Görlitz)|Nikolai Tower]]
File:St Peter and Paul Church, Gorlitz from south-east.jpg|St. Peter and Paul
File:Altes Rathaus Görlitz 1.jpg|[[Town Hall of Görlitz|Old town hall]]
File:Wilhelmsplatz-1-goerlitz.jpg|Wilhelmsplatz
</gallery>

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==See also==
* [[Ludwigsdorf (Görlitz)|Ludwigsdorf]]
* [[Pließnitz]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Görlitz}}
{{EB1911 poster|Görlitz}}
* {{wikivoyage-inline|Görlitz}}
* [https://www.visit-goerlitz.com/ Official website] {{in lang|en}}
* {{Official website}} {{in lang|de}}
* [http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3641146,00.html DW-World 'trial living' report.]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvz0WKE45_s "Görlitz/Zgorzelec{{snd}}Urban development from 12th to 21st century"] on [[YouTube]]

{{Cities and towns in Görlitz (district)}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gorlitz}}
[[Category:Görlitz| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Silesia]]
[[Category:Divided cities]]
[[Category:Germany–Poland border crossings]]
[[Category:Towns in Görlitz (district)]]
[[Category:Holocaust locations in Germany]]