Testing the City of the Future
A living and working experiment for a climate neutral city of Görlitz
Urban space, infrastructure and leisure
The city of Görlitz impresses not only with its spaces for living and working. It also offers a lively urban atmosphere with a good range of infrastructure, retail, cultural and leisure facilities. At the same time, it is pleasantly quiet compared to many metropolises. Due to the short distances in the city, almost all facilities can be reached quickly and on foot.
The attractive townscape and historic buildings make Görlitz an important location for tourism as well as for national and international film productions.
Görlitz and the surrounding area also offer myriad opportunities for recreation:
- Large green spaces and parks in the city
- Interplay of reshaped and natural areas along the German-Polish border river Neisse
- Naturschutz-Tierpark Görlitz-Zgorzelec (Zoo/Animal Park)
- Lake "Berzdorfer See"
- Destinations for day trips, e.g. to the Landeskrone or the Königshainer Berge
- Proximity to the Natural Park Zittauer Gebirge and the and the Polish-Czech Giant Mountains
Willkommen zu Hause – Freizeit in Görlitz
Learn more on the YouTube channel of the European City of Görlitz/Zgorzelec
Website of the city of Görlitz
Information page of Europastadt Görlitz/Zgorzelec GmbH for people interested in relocation
Families in Görlitz
The numerous associations and leisure activities for children especially make families feel at home in the city. The location of Görlitz also enables bilingual schooling and direct contact with our Polish neighbours.
For several years now, the "Familienbüro Görlitz" has been a central contact point in the city for all questions concerning families. It provides comprehensive information about care, counselling, support and leisure activities for families in Görlitz.
Here you will find comprehensive information on the offers and on suitable contact persons for concerns that go beyond the office's services
Civic engagement
There are over 400 associations and initiatives in Görlitz!
The "Engagierte Stadt" and the Volunteer agency Görlitz is the contact point for people looking to engage with the city. On the associated interactive digital platform interested parties will find not only a knowledge blog and ideas platform for exchanging experiences and ideas from civic work, but also a resource pool, exciting training opportunities and a digital volunteer exchange. Those who would prefer to be informed personally about civic engagement activities in the city are cordially invited to make a personal appointment.
An overview of the associations in the city of Görlitz is also provided on the city's website.
Sustainability and climate protection
In 2019, the Mayor Octavian Ursu in particular formulated the goal:
The city of Görlitz should become climate-neutral by 2030.
This means that only a prescribed climate-compatible level of greenhouse gases will be produced. How can this goal be achieved? Attractive local public transport or a climate-neutral heat supply can contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
In addition, compensatory measures are also planned within the city, such as tree planting. These measures not only contribute to climate protection, but also increase the quality of life in the city of Görlitz.
Climate protection has long been an important topic in the city of Görlitz. Back in 2002, the city of Görlitz had a climate protection concept drawn up for the entire city area and was thus a pioneer compared to many other cities. Görlitz has already been awarded the European Energy Award six times - a quality certificate for sustainability in which energy and climate protection targets are agreed and regularly reviewed. In 2013, the city of Görlitz drew up an overall concept for the energy refurbishment of the core city.
The goal of climate neutrality is an important milestone on the journey towards a sustainable city. Currently, there are already numerous initiatives and activities by people in Görlitz that make small but important contributions to sustainable lifestyles in many fields of action.
For example, sustainable consumption is supported by organic food shops, vegan restaurants and an unpacked food shop. Car and bike sharing, also with electric vehicles, enable sustainable mobility.
