r that had been blown up by retreating
German forces in World War II have been rebuilt, reconnecting the two towns
with one bus line. There is also common urban management and annual common
sessions of both town councils. In 2006 the towns jointly applied to be the
European Capital of Culture in 2010. It was hoped that the jury would be
convinced by the concept of Polish-German cooperation, but the award fell to
Essen, with Görlitz/Zgorzelec in second place
