Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia Sights

Shopping Nightlife Performing Arts

1. Zgorzelec

In 1946 everything on the eastern side on the Neisse River was ceded to Poland and Görlitz lost its eastern suburb. A walk across the river is like a trip back in time. Zgorzelec certainly isn't as well off as Görlitz, but there are some nice patrician houses and wide parks whose decay resembles the state of Görlitz in the 1980s. For a stroll through, cross the Altstadtbrücke (Old Town Bridge) behind the Peterskirche, turn right, and walk approximately a kilometer (half mile), then cross back into Germany at the former official border crossing. Great Polish food is in plentiful supply at the Piwnica Staromiejska at Wrocławska 1, just across the bridge. Food, gasoline, alcohol, and cigarettes are about 50% cheaper and there are a lot of shops that cater to Germans on the other side of the river.