Along an important medieval trade route, the Via Regia,
numerous trading centres developed, such as Leipzig, Wrocław and Kraków,
as well as Görlitz on the banks of the Neisse river.
Today, this historical city consists of the cities of Görlitz in Germany and Zgorzelec in Poland.
Taking the current layout of the European twin city of Görlitz/Zgorzelec as a starting point,
one can trace back the development of this urban area step by step using historical maps.
Around 1150, as the St. Nicholas Church was being built, a trading centre arose near the crossing of the Lusatian Neisse
before the city was founded around 1220.
The economic prosperity of the city in the 16th century becomes evident in the impressive Renaissance constructions
that still mark the character of the city today.
The Via Regia ran through Görlitz from the Barbican in the west to the Neisse Gates in the east.
Protected by a double ring of walls with magnificent towers,
the trading areas of the leading merchants arose along the main axis of the city from the Lower to the Upper Market.
Following economic stagnation in the 17th century,
the incipient industrialisation of the 19th century paved the way for a long-term economic boom.
A key aspect of this upswing was the connection to the railway network in 1847 through the famous Neisse Viaduct.
With the help of new development plans, the immense growth of the city in the 19th century
led to the relocation of the functional city centre from the Old City to the train station.
The economic conditions enabled mechanical and rail engineering as well as the textile industry to emerge, preferably along the Neisse river.
The rich ornamentation decorating the frames of new maps
proudly symbolizes the modern development of the city at the end of the 19th century.
In addition to other representative buildings, such as the Upper Lusatian Memorial Hall,
a modern concert hall arose, seating 2,500 people.
The City Theatre was built on Demiani Square, right next to the old Barbican.
On the northern outscirts of the city, the memorial-like crematory towers above the nearby buildings.
A development plan from 1917 served as the basis for the city’s architectural evolvement during the interwar period.
Cooperative residential buildings and garden-city-like colonies east of the Neisse river played an important role in the development.
The division of the city in 1945 had severe consequences for the structure of the inner city.
The two cities began to grow apart;
however, following the political turn of 1990,
the European twin city of Görlitz/Zgorzelec is facing a joint future in a united Europe.