The spatial production of a border-crossing civil society in Görlitz and Zgorzelec. A German point of view

• Authors: Nicolai Teufel
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

After decades of uncertainty and continuous change to the border regime since the split-up of Görlitz into a German part west of the river Neisse, and a Polish part called Zgorzelec after the Second World War, both towns established the self-designated European City Görlitz-Zgorzelec in 1998. Although journalists and politicians maintain that Görlitz and Zgorzelec are a case model for European integration, there are obvious differences between the visions connected to the project ‘European City’ and the everyday life. Following the key research question, whether the ‘European City Görlitz-Zgorzelec’, in its attempts to develop a border-crossing civil society, is also constructed from below by citizens on both sides of the border, my contribution to the field of border studies uses a qualitative micro-level approach to these processes in the fields of culture, leisure and education. For that aim, an ethnographically inspired socio-geographical research design has been linked to Henri Lefebvre’s theoretical framework of the double triad of spatial production developed in The Production of Space (1991). From the perspective of actors in civil society in both towns, who are active in constructing, shifting and deconstructing borders, the article aims to illuminate both territorial and social bordering processes. Borderwork is embedded in and connected to transformation and peripheralisation processes, as well as to the discourses on and the funding instruments of European Integration in the context of the complex history of the Polish-German border.

Keywords

EN

border studies; binational cities; production of space; Görlitz; Zgorzelec

• Publisher: Sciendo
• Journal: Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series
• Year: 2014
• Volume: 25
• Issue: 25
• Pages: 215-231

Dates

published

2014-09-01

received

2013-10-22

revised

2013-12-23

accepted

2014-02-21

online

2014-11-15

Contributors

author

Nicolai Teufel

• University of Bayreuth, Chair of Cultural Geography, Universitätsstraße 30, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany

References

• Baumgardt, P., 2004: From the middle of nowhere to the heart of Europe: eine neue Urbanität: Gesamtkonzeption, Görlitz: Europa-Haus Görlitz e.V.
• Beck, U., 2009: Understanding the Real Europe: A Cosmopolitan Vision. In: Rumford, C. editor, The SAGE Handbook of European Studies, Los Angeles: SAGE, pp. 602-619.
• Buursink J., 2001: The binational reality of border-crossing cities. In: GeoJournal, 54, pp. 7-19. DOI: http:// dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1021180329607
• BMVBS (Bundesministerium für Verkehr, Bau und Stadtentwicklung), n.d.: grenze - welche grenze? - granica - jaka granica? menschen an oder & neiße - Ludzie nad nad Odrą i Nysą (Border - which border? People along the Oder & Neisse rivers - in German and Polish).
• Castells, M., 1991: The Informational City: Economic Restructuring and Urban Development, Oxford: Blackwell.
• Cooper, A. and Rumford, C., 2013: Monumentalising the Border: Bordering Through Connectivity. In: Mobilities, 8 (1), pp. 107-124. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10. 1080/17450101.2012.747761
• Doevenspeck M., 2011: Constructing the border from below: Narratives from the Congolese-Rwandan state boundary. In: Political Geography, 30 (3), pp. 129-142. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2011.03.003
• Dołzbłasz, S. and Raczyk, A., 2011: Transborder openness of the companies in a divided city: Zgorzelec/ Görlitz case study. In: Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, 103 (1), pp. 1-15. DOI: http:// dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9663.2011.00688.x
• Donat, E., Korzcz, R. and Groß, K., 2012: Stadt Görlitz: Einzelhandels- und Zentrenkonzept (Municipality of Görlitz: Retail and city centre concept - in German), Leipzig: CIMA.
• Ehlers, N., Buursink, J. and Boekema F., 2001: Introduction: Binational cities and their regions: From diverging cases to a common research agenda. In: GeoJournal, (54), pp. 1-5.
• Fiedorowicz, M. and Karbaum, R., 2005: Die Bedeutung des Leitbildprozesses „Stadt 2030” für die Zukunft der Europastadt Görlitz/Zgorzelec (The importance of the development of the model “City 2030“ for the future of the European City Görlitz/Zgorzelec - in German). In: Friedrich, K., Knippschild, R., Kunert, M., Meyer- Künzel, M. and Neumann, I. editors, Zwei Grenzstädte wachsen zusammen: Im Zukunftsdialog zur Europastadt Görlitz/Zgorzelec, Munich: oekom verlag, pp. 9-10.
• Günther, J., 2006: Die Schöne an der Neisse probt das neue Europa: Görlitz wird zwar nicht Kulturhauptstadt, plant aber weiterhin die deutsch-polnische Doppelstadt (The beauty on the Neisse rehearses for the new Europe: Görlitz will not be Capital of Culture, but continues with the planning of a German- Polish twin-city - in German). In: Neue Züricher Zeitung, 13.04.2006.
• Häkli, J., 2008: Re-Bordering Spaces. In: Cox, K. R., Low, M. and Robinson, J. editors, The SAGE handbook of political geography, Los Angeles: SAGE, pp. 471-482.
• Haslinger, P. and Waack, C., 2010: Historisch-topographischer Atlas schlesischer Städte: Görlitz-Zgorzelec (Historical-Topographical Atlas of Silesian Towns: Görlitz-Zgorzelec - in German), Marburg: Herder- Institut.
• Herbert, S., 2000: For ethnography. In: Progress in Human Geography, 24 (4), pp. 550-568. DOI: http:// dx.doi.org/10.1191/030913200100189102
• Hermann, R., 2012: Ein «Europa-Labor» an der Neisse: Nach schwieriger Geschichte wachsen Görlitz und Zgorzelec als Doppelstadt zusammen (A «Laboratory for Europe» on the Neisse River: After difficult episodes of history Görlitz and Zgorzelec grow together as a twin-city - in German). In: Neue Züricher Zeitung, 02.02.2012.
• Jajeśniak-Quast, D. and Stokłosa, K., 2000: Geteilte Städte an Oder und Neiße: Frankfurt (Oder) - Slubice, Guben - Gubin und Görlitz - Zgorzelec 1945 -1995 (Divided cities along the Oder and Neisse Rivers: Frankfurt (Oder) - Slubice, Guben - Gubin and Görlitz - Zgorzelec 1945-1995 - in German), Berlin: Spitz.
• Johnson, C., Jones, R., Paasi, A., Amoore, L., Mountz, A. and Salter, M., 2011: Interventions on rethinking ‘the border’ in border studies. In: Political Geography, 30 (2), pp. 61-69. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j. polgeo.2011.01.002
• Kaiserliches Statistisches Amt, 1880-1914.: Statistisches Jahrbuch für das Deutsche Reich (Statistical Yearbook of the German Empire - in German), Berlin.
• Kiesow, G., 2010: Mit Optimismus zu einer neuen wirtschaftlichen Blüte (With optimism to new economic prosperity - in German). In: Sächsische Zeitung, 22.07.2010.
• Lammert, M. and Pietsch, M., 2011: Lebenswege ins Ungewisse: Görlitz-Zgorzelec 1933 - 2011 (Life Journeys into Uncertainty: Görlitz-Zgorzelec 1933-2011 - in German), Görlitz: Stiftung Schlesisches Museum.
• Lefebvre, H., 1991: The Production of Space, Oxford, Cambridge: Blackwell.
• Lefebvre, H., 2004: Rhythmanalysis: Space, time, and everyday life, London, New York: Continuum.
• Leibenath, M., Knippschild, R. and Korcelli-Olejniczak, E. editors, 2008a: Cross-border Governance and Sustainable Spatial Development: Mind the Gaps!, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer.
• Leibenath, M., Korcelli-Olejniczak, E. and Knippschild, R., 2008b: Bridging the gaps?: Cross-border governance between top-down policies and local needs and limitations. In: Leibenath, M., Korcelli-Olejniczak, E. and Knippschild, R. editors, Cross-border Governance and Sustainable Spatial Development: Mind the Gaps!, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, pp. 187-193.
• Lentz, S., Herfert, G. and Bergfeld, A., 2009: The German- Polish Border Region from a German Perspective - quo vadis? In: German Annual of Spatial Research and Policy, pp. 125-151. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.1007/978-3-540-88839-0_9
• Matthiesen, U. and Bürkner, H., 2001: Antagonistic structures in border areas: Local milieux and local politics in the Polish-German twin city Gubin/Guben. In: GeoJournal, (54), pp. 43-50.
• McIlwaine, C., 2009: Civil Society. In: Kitchin, R. and Thrift, N. editors, International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, Amsterdam: Elsevier, pp. 136-141.
• Megoran, N., 2006: For ethnography in political geography: experiencing and re-imagining Ferghana Valley boundary closures. In: Political Geography, 25(6), pp. 622-640. DOI: 10.1016/j.polgeo.2006.05.005
• Mezzadra, S. and Neilson, B., 2013: Border as Method, or, the Multiplication of Labor. Durham, London: Duke University Press.
• Miosga, M., 2008: Implications of spatial development policies at European and national levels for border regions: The case of Germany. In: Leibenath, M., Korcelli-Olejniczak, E. and Knippschild, R. editors, Cross-border Governance and Sustainable Spatial Development: Mind the Gaps!, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, pp. 15-31.
• Mirwaldt, K., 2010: Contact, conflict and geography: What factors shape cross-border citizen relations? In: Political Geography, 29 (8), pp. 434-443. DOI : http:// dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2010.10.004
• Müller, M., 2012: Mittendrin statt nur dabei: Ethnographie als Methodologie in der Humangeographie (In the middle instead of on the side-lines. Ethnography as methodology in human geography - in German). In: Geographica Helvetica, 67 (4), pp. 179-184. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/gh-67-179-2012
• Müller-Gerbes, H., 2006: Kleine, feine Partnerstadt mit großen Sorgen: Görlitz wird 2010 zwar nicht Kulturhauptstadt, will aber „weiter bauen“ - auch an der Anerkennung als Weltkulturerbe (Small, nice partnership- town with big worries. Görlitz won’t be 2010’s Capital of Culture, but wants to “continue building” - also toward recognition as world cultural heritage site - in German). In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 10.06.2006.
• Neumann, I. and Friedrich, K., 2005: Grenzüberschreitende Interaktion in kooperierenden europäischen Grenzstädten - Ein Vergleich (Border-crossing interaction in co-operating European border-towns - a comparison - in German). In: Friedrich, K., Knippschild, R., Kunert, M., Meyer-Künzel, M. and Neumann, I. editors, Zwei Grenzstädte wachsen zusammen: Im Zukunftsdialog zur Europastadt Görlitz/ Zgorzelec, Munich: oekom verlag, pp. 115-147.
• Newman, D., 2006a: Borders and Bordering: Towards an Interdisciplinary Dialogue. In: European Journal of Social Theory, 9 (2), pp. 171-186. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.1177/1368431006063331
• Newman, D., 2006b: The lines that continue to separate us: borders in our ‘borderless’ world. In: Progress in Human Geography, 30 (2), pp. 143-161. DOI: http:// dx.doi.org/10.1191/0309132506ph599xx Opiłowska, E., 2009: Kontinuitäten und Brüche deutschpolnischer Erinnerungskulturen: Görlitz-Zgorzelec 1945-2006 (Continuities and Breaks in German-Polish Cultures of Remembrance: Görlitz-Zgorzelec 1945-2006 - in German), Dresden, Frankfurt (Oder): Neisse-Verlag.
• Paasi, A., 1998: Boundaries as social processes: Territoriality in the world of flows. In: Geopolitics, 3 (1), pp. 69-88. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.1080/14650049808407608 Paasi, A., 2001: Europe as a Social Process and Discourse: Considerations of Place, Boundaries and Identity. In: European Urban and Regional Studies, 8 (1), pp. 7-28. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/096977640100800102
• Paasi, A., 2005: Generations and the ‘Development’ of Border Studies. In: Geopolitics, 10 (4), pp. 663-671. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14650040500318563
• Pfeiffer, S. and Opiłowska, E., 2006: Zwei Seiten einer Stadt. Görlitz - Zgorzelec (Two Sides of one City.
• Görlitz - Zgorzelec - in German), Dresden: Edition Sächsische Zeitung.
• Ronneberger, K., 2008: Henri Lefebvre and Urban Everyday Life. In: Goonewardena, K, Kipfer, S., Milgrom, R. and Schmid, C. editors, Space, difference, everyday life: Reading Henri Lefebvre, New York: Routledge, pp. 134-146.
• Rumford, C., 2008: Citizens and borderwork in contemporary Europe, London: Routledge.
• Rumford, C., 2009: Introduction: The Stuff of European Studies. In: Rumford, C. editor, The SAGE handbook of European studies. London: SAGE, pp. 1-14.
• Rumford, C., 2012: Towards a Multiperspectival Study of Borders. In: Geopolitics, 17 (4), pp 887-902. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14650045.2012.660584
• Schmid, C., 2005: Stadt, Raum und Gesellschaft: Henri Lefebvre und die Theorie der Produktion des Raumes (City, Space and Society: Henri Lefebvre and the Production of Space - in German), Stuttgart: Steiner.
• Schmid, C., 2008: Henri Lefebvre’s theory of the production of space: towards a three-dimensional dialectic. In: Goonewardena, K, Kipfer, S., Milgrom, R. and Schmid, C. editors, Space, difference, everyday life: Reading Henri Lefebvre, New York: Routledge, pp. 27-45.
• Simmel, G., 1983: Soziologie des Raumes (1903) (Sociology of Space - in German). In: Simmel, G., Dahme, H. and Rammstedt, O. editors, Schriften zur Soziologie: Eine Auswahl, Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp.
• Sokol, J., 2009: Peripherie und Grenze (Periphery and Border - in German). In: Vogt, M.T., Mikolajczyk, B. and Sokol, J. editors, Peripherie in der Mitte Europas, Frankfurt am Main: Lang, pp. 51-60.
• Stadtverwaltung Görlitz, 2012: Statistische Monatszahlen: Stadt Görlitz (Statistical monthly figures: Municipality of Görlitz - in German), Monat November 2012.
• Urząd Miasta Zgorzelec, 2011: Oficjalny serwis miasta Zgorzelec: Statystyki (Official website of the municipality of Zgorzelec: Statistics - in Polish). Available at: http://www.zgorzelec.eu/index.php?option=com_ content&view=category&layout=blog&id=274&Item id=100158. Date of access: 19.02.2014.
• Wagner, W., 2005: Grenzöffnungen in geteilten Städten - Simulationen der Folgen für die Stadtstruktur (Border opening within divided cities - a simulation of the effects on city structure - in German). In: Raumforschung und Raumordnung, (1), pp. 3-10.
• Weger, T., 2009: Die Konferenz von Potsdam (The Potsdam Conference - in German). In: Hartmann, K., Ruchniewicz, K., Ruchniewicz, M., Weger, T. and Wóycicki, K. editors, Geschichte verstehen - Zukunft gestalten: Die deutsch-polnischen Beziehungen in den Jahren 1933-1949, Dresden: Neisse Verlag, pp. 203-212.
• Weiske, C., Schucknecht, K. and Ptaszek, M., 2008: Über die Grenze: Die integrative Kraft des Lebensalltags in der Doppelstadt Görlitz-Zgorzelec (Over the border: the integrative force of everyday life in the twin-city Görlitz-Zgorzelec - in German). In: Jurczek, P. and Niedobitek, M. editors, Europäische Forschungsperspektiven: Elemente einer Europawissenschaft, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot.
• Welter, F., Veleva, N., Kolb, S., Schweitzer, F., Heubner, B. and Luhmer, R., 2008: Regional Summary Report of Görlitz, Germany, (Challenges and Prospects of cross border cooperation in the context of the EU enlargement, Deliverable 11).
• Wóycicki, K., 2012: Zuhause an der Neiße | Dom nad Nysą: Görlitz und Zgorzelec 1945-1989 | Zgorzelec i Görlitz 1945-1989. Chronik der Ereignisse | Kronika wydarzeń (At Home on the Neisse River. Görlitz and Zgorzelec 1945-1989. Chronicle of Events - in German and Polish), Wrocław: GAJT Wydawnictwo.
• Zbikowska, I., 2012a: “Ir al zoo es más fácil” (“Visiting the zoo is easier now” - in Spanish). In: El País, 25.01.2012.
• Zbikowska, I., 2012b: Poles prosper after opening up German labour market. In: The Guardian, 25.01.2012.

Identifiers

DOI

10.2478/bog-2014-0040