Emma Climb the 191 steps to the top of the Görlitz town hall tower for the best view of the town from 60 metres high.
Görlitz received the Magdeburg city charter in 1303 and therefore needed an administrative building. An existing building on Untermarkt was utilised for this purpose with a tower first mentioned in 1378.
The first part of the building you will notice is the town hall staircase.
The Town Hall Staircase was constructed in 1537 with the curved staircase leading up to the courthouse wing.
In 1742 lightning struck the tower and it was rebuilt with an additional two clocks. If you look up, you will see above these clocks there is a golden lion. The lion is a heraldic animal of bohemia and was designed to scare away thieves with its powerful roar at midnight.
The lion’s roar can be heard if you take part in a tower tour.
The upper clock depicts the lunar calendar with the outer ring showing the 24 hours in a day, the middle ring showing the phases of the moon and the inner ring showing the calendar day. The inner ring no longer works, but the moon phases still display.
The second clock has, in its centre, a head. According to legend, it is the head of a town watchman. He slept through the town fire and is said to have been walled up alive in the tower. He now opens and closes his orange eyes every minute. The colour of the eyes is supposed to reflect the city fire, and the open mouth – the horror of the fire.
Some images from Görlitz Town Hall tower.
Did you know? The town hall tower can be seen in Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds”.
Video
@foodieexplorers Görlitz town hall tower #travelblog #travel #traveltiktok #travelinspo #vacaymode #travelmemories ♬ The Lost Words Blessing – Radio Edit – Spell Songs
Address
Görlitz Town Hall Tower, Untermarkt 6, Görlitz
Tour times
March – December:
Wednesday – Sunday: 11 am – 6 pm
Check with Görlitz Tourist Office for up-to-date information.
Admission fee
Adults: €5
