Goerlitz lies beside Poland, and as such is a cultural melting pot. Easily accessible along the A4 from Erfurt and Dresden, it is also accessible from the E40. Drivers can also reach it from the A15. Twinned with the Polish city Zgorzelec, Goerlitz has many visitors each year. The Bismark Tower, which was first designed as a fire tower for Goerlitz, is one of the most interesting structures in the town; at thirteen metres high, it was designed and erected after the death of the Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, and is hoped to promote unity between the German people, as Bismarck himself did.

Additional points of interest include the Fish Market, which was built in the eighteenth century; it is also worth exploring Baker Street, which is home to many beautiful period buildings and features. The school buildings on Baker Street are excellent examples of late classical buildings and since the mid-twentieth century the building has been used as a music school.