Zgorzelec

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Zgorzelec is an interesting town on the bank of the river which forms the border between Poland and Germany. Prior to World War II it was actually a suburb of its German neighbour Görlitz, but when the borders were redrawn it found itself part of Poland! In all honesty, there's not an awful lot to see and do there, but it is definitely cheaper to base yourself there and walk over to Görlitz, which is what the next entry will be about! We stayed in the comfortable BanApart apartment, but if three floors of stairs is too much for you, you might want to look elsewhere!

We actually liked Zgorzelec though. The weather wasn't brilliant but that meant it wasn't too hot to wander around. The riverside path is lovely and gives great views over to Germany on the opposite bank. Around the pedestrian bridge to the north is some lovely architecture, but it was impossible to get close to it so we missed the chance to see the obelisk. The bridge to the south runs from the town centre into Germany and we were staggered by the queuing traffic considering it is an open border.

For us though, the main attraction was the Polish War Cemetery. It's only thanks to a blog we had found very useful (Kami and the Rest of the World), we knew of its existence. 3,402 soldiers and officers are buried in the cemetery after losing their lives in April 1945 fighting for the Nysa river and the city of Bautzen. Their names are inscribed on huge slabs of stone overlooked by a massive stone eagle, the symbol of Poland. It's a beautiful spot and the vast array of crosses in perfect symmetry provide plenty of cause for thought and contemplation.

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Military Cemetery
Such beauty in great sadness.