Zgorzelec - The Neighbor

Zgorzelec and Görlitz signed a partnership agreement in 1980. For the first time in 1996, a joint City Council meeting was carried out; currently this is done at least once a year. Both neighbouring Cities cooperate, in the context of the "Europa City" declared in 1998, on several different levels. Apart from German-Polish kindergartens there is a German-Polish Elementary School and a Bilingual Grammar School. In the field of sports, the Europe Marathon and the Bridge runs are jointly organized and the presentation of the international Bridge prize, as well as the organization of the Silesian Music Festival are a testimony to the cultural cooperation. With the Bridge prize, personalities are honored who, with their life work, have obtained merits for the understanding of the people of Europe. Several simultaneous City Festivals merge, both are temporarily parts of the German-Polish City. Once a year, the Greek Festival is also carried out, in which Greek music and dance groups make their appearances.

There are four points to cross the country border: the Autobahn A4 (E40) and the Train Viaduct over the River Neisse on the main connecting roads between Dresden and Breslau, a road crossing in the center and over the restored Historic Bridge in the old City for pedestrians and cyclists. Since 1991, there is a bus line between Zgorzelec and Görlitz, which connects the Görlitz railway station with the City Centre of Zgorzelec and its Commercial Centre in the eastern part of the City, once every half an hour.

In the Commercial District of the North is the heating station of the City company ZPEC, which since 2008 was adapted, in several steps, to the regulations for maximal fine dust contamination. In the same area is the Kopex-Famago company, which makes machines for surface mining, machines for freight handling and other machine elements. Europe’s greatest banana importer, the Citronex company, manages a huge banana ripening plant, and maintains a large fleet of trucks to transport the fruits all over Europe. In the eastern part of the city two large markets were established (real and Carrefour), two constructions markets and several commercial galleries. As a result of self-driving tourism, the City has a large service stations density. In the Southern part of the City, there is a special commercial area of 16 hectares which has been established. Companies which settle there receive support from the state, of up to 65% of their capital investment. Ca. 25 km. to the south, the Turow power station with a power of 1900 MW covers 8% of the Polish energy requirement; this is Poland’s third-largest power station. It employs approx.1800 people.

In Zgorzelec there is a District Court and a County Court, which contains the chambers for Civil law, Penal law, Youth and Family law, as well as the Labor law and the Land Registry Office. A Public City Library supplies the District Library and several field offices. The County Hospital was selected by the Ministry of Health as a multi-disciplinary focus Hospital and it contains 19 modern clinics.

There are six Kindergartens; one of them is a bilingual one and is maintained by a private support organization, DPFA Academy Group. Under the same roof is the German-Polish Primar School „Regenbogen“. The Grammar Schools also include two Private Schools – a school for adults, and the bilingual Gimnazjum Luzyckie. The general education Lyceum Jan and Jedrzej Sniadecki lead to a general Secondary School completion. There are also three Professional Schools.