The German part of Görlitz forms the historic core of the former town of Zhořelec, while the eastern district across the Lusatian Neisse now constitutes the Polish town of Zgorzelec. The settlement developed at the crossroads of important trade routes linking Bohemia with northern Hanseatic cities and Wrocław with Thuringia. The first written mention dates from 1071.

Thanks to its favourable location, Görlitz grew rapidly and became an important trading centre. It later formed part of the Kingdom of Bohemia and was one of the members of the Lusatian League of Six Towns. After the Thirty Years’ War, the town passed to Saxony and later, in 1815, to Prussia.

The city survived the Second World War almost undamaged. After 1945, the Lusatian Neisse became the new German-Polish border, dividing the town into Görlitz and Zgorzelec.

The historic centre contains numerous monuments, including the Church of St Peter and Paul, the medieval Waidhaus, the Renaissance Town Hall on Untermarkt, and the former fortification tower Kaisertrutz, now part of the local museum.