a city in the German Democratic Republic, in the region of Dresden. Population, 88,100 (1968). It is located on the left bank of the Neisse River in the picturesque foothills of the Lausitz Mountains. The city is an important transportation junction. It is also noted for machine building (railroad cars) and for electrotechnical, optical-mechanical, textile, woodworking, and food-processing industries. Lignite is mined in the surrounding area. Görlitz was first mentioned in the late 11th century. It has a 15th-century church and a 16th-century town hall.