The city in terms of numbers

The city with a history going back to the 13th century is situated in the very centre of Europe, between Berlin, Wrocław, Szczecin, Poznań and Prague. Its position has, for many years, favoured the shaping of a multitude of contacts with the people of other regions and countries. Economic cooperation, social contacts and joint educational ventures mean that Zielona Góra has, for long, been strongly linked with contemporary Europe. Zielona Góra maintains constant contacts with partner cities: Cottbus, Verden (Germany), Helmond (Holland), Troyes (France), Nitra (Slovakia) and L'Aquila (Italy), as well as with friend-cities: Bistrita in Romania and Soltau in Germany.
A major merit is its place in the transport system, lying almost exactly on the crossroads of international road and railway routes linking Scandinavia with south Europe and Warsaw with Berlin. A short distance from Zielona Góra will be more than 200 kilometres of motorways: the A2 Paris-Moscow, A3 Szczecin-Prague, and the A4 Brussels-Kiev. Zielona Góra is 160 kilometres from Berlin, 290 kilometres from Prague, 130 km from Poznań, 160 km from Wrocław and 413 km from Warsaw. There are also two airports: the major airport in Babimost and the sports airport in Przylep only 5 km from the city centre. Zielona Góra is open to all investors, the city authorities offering various facilities to animate economic expansion
Zielona Góra has a population of about 120,000. Population density is 2,047 persons/square km and the area is about 60 square km. The unemployment rate is the lowest in the region and stands at about 7,1%.
The city has a status of a Municipal District and is a self-government capital of the Lubuskie Region. It is here that the Offices of the Self-Government Regional Council, the Marshal and District Starost, and the Regional Employment Agency are located, as well as many other regional institutions.

Tourism

Tourists visiting our city will surely find many attractions here. The city boasts abundant history and tradition. The Wine City certainly has a unique atmosphere. The picturesque Old Town, the Wine Hill with the Palm House, many monuments connected with the history of our city and the omnipresent grapevine motif make the city visitors immediately captivated by the charm of this place.
Greenery and picturesque quality of the Zielona Góra region are additional reasons to spend one's holidays here. We have a lot to offer to those who prefer active leisure. Sports and recreation play a significant role in the lives of the city inhabitants. Around Zielona Góra farm tourism is thriving.
Many cultural and entertainment events, a multitude of places that are worth seeing, the atmosphere of the city and a very good condition of natural environment are essential tourist qualities of the Wine City. The authorities place particular emphasis on development of this sphere of life. Zielona Góra offers accommodation for about 1,200 people and efforts are constantly made to develop the accommodation facilities.
There are many places in our town worth seeing. There are characteristic 19th century tenement houses in the Old Town, i.e. around the Market Square and in the streets leading to it. The Old Town has retained its layout without any significant changes since the 18th century. The Market Square was set out on a rectangular plan (60 x 160 m). Flower girls of Zielona Góra have taken a particular liking to this place. In summer the nearby restaurants and pubs have their outdoor beer gardens there. In the centre of the Old Town there is the Town Hall dating from the second half of the 15th century. Its 54-metre-high tower is crowned by a three-storey baroque helmet. The Town Hall houses, among others, the Register Office, City Council Meeting Hall and Chamber of the Pioneers of Zielona Góra.
In Krawiecka street there is the Hunger Tower, formerly known as the Bath Tower. A long time ago it used to be part of one of the town entrance gates. It is a very characteristic landmark of Zielona Góra. Nowadays, it is used for observation and storage purposes. The Tower, together with the nearby Timber market (at present Drzewna street) are linked with the history of witch trials that took place here in the 16th century.
In Zielona Góra one can also visit the unique 19th century Wine Houses. One of them, situated on one of the highest elevations in the town, was built in the 19th century by an industrialist, August Gemlper. In 1956 a glass pavilion was added to the house to accommodate exotic plants, and later a restaurant was opened. The Palm House of Zielona Góra is one of the most distinctive buildings in the city, the one and only of its kind. Under the roof of the restaurant there are over 200 species of plants, including 120 tropical ones. The Palm House is surrounded by a vine park that brings to mind the winemaking traditions of the city.
The beautiful old churches are indeed worth seeing. The St. Jadwiga Concathedral is the oldest existing monument in Zielona Góra. It was built in the 13th century and was later reconstructed many times. The Holy Saviour Roman Catholic Church is the former Evangelical church. It was erected at the beginning of the 20th century by the Beuctelt family (former owners of the steel constructions and carriages works). The acoustics of this church is so excellent that it is often called the second philharmonic hall. This is the place where the concerts of church music are held regularly. The Church of Our Lady of Częstochowa used to be an Evangelical church until 1945. It was erected in 1748, on the Greek cross plan as a building of a half-timbered construction. From the tower facing the Town Hall one can hear the Marian hymns. Behind the church there are the Powstańców Wielkopolskich Square, remnants of the old town walls (there was a time when the alleged witches were burnt there) and the buildings of the Zielona Góra Philharmonic Hall.

Winemaking traditions

One of the most characteristic symbols of Zielona Góra is a grapevine and its fruit. The tradition of vine growing in our city goes back to the beginning of the 14th century, and it is believed that the monks growing the grapevine in the monastery gardens were its precursors. It was probably at the time when people of noble origin started to establish vineyards in their estates that the custom of Grape Harvest exuberant celebration came into being. Over the centuries the tradition was subject to changing fortunes until the 19th century, when the authorities of Zielona Góra decided that it was a splendid opportunity to promote the town, thus the customary merrymaking that used to accompany the grape harvest in September was modified into a series of organized events. Since 1852 the most important element of Grape Harvest has become a joyful and colourful parade of people in various costumes and artists of all kinds, led by who else but the god of wine - Bacchus himself.
After the Second World War the inhabitants of Zielona Góra resolved to revive the German tradition of grape harvest - fetes and sports and artistic events were organized. In recent years, the city authorities have decided to turn this unique tradition that has no counterpart anywhere else in Poland into one of the main attractions of the city. In order to achieve the established goal, many actions have been taken to recreate vineyards in the city. This initiative has all the makings of a great success mainly due to the climate warming and development of many weather-resistant species of grapevine. The authorities make efforts to plant grapevine in the city by spot-planting it on the edges of the streets and squares. Apart from this, more and more small vineyards are established near people's houses every year, and big plantations with wine production prospects are located in the vicinity of the town. The September Grape Harvest Celebration is thriving and experiencing its best years in its history ever.

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