About Zielona Gora :
Zielona Gora (Green Mountain) lies on the historic route between Wroclaw and Szczecin. Zielona Gora (Poland) is one of the two capitals of the Lubuskie region, with 117,557 inhabitants within the city limits (June 2009) and 294,000 inhabitants within the metropolitan area, including three neighbouring counties, and is situated 12 km. south of the River Odra. Zielona Góra is an important centre of machine and textile industries, and is also seen by many Poles as the cultural centre of the region with two high-level institutions of higher learning. Zielona Gora obtained its municipal rights in 1323. And was until recently the only centre of wine production in Poland. Since the 16th century, Zielona Gora was also a centre of woollen cloth production. The majority of buildings in the centre of Zielona Gora were built in the early 20th century. Historical monuments include the late-Gothic Church (mid-15th century), half-timbered church from the 18th century, and remnants of old fortifications. The palm house cafe surrounded by a vineyard located on the hill which towers over the city is well worth a visit. It also offers a wonderful view of the city. It is also worth paying a visit to the Lubuskie Regional Museum which has an interesting section devoted to wine making. The city has been known for its wines for centuries. It is now one of two places in Poland with wine grape cultivation mainly for white wines (the other being the wine growing region near the town of Warka in Masovia). The first wineries around the city were built in 1314. At Paradyż (Paradise) Abbey near Zielona Góra, monks have been making wine since 1250. The number of vineyards at peak production is estimated at 4,000 in the region, and 2,500 in Zielona Góra itself. During the communist era wine production was reduced, but since 1990 it has recovered. However, nowadays wine is no longer produced in Zielona Góra itself (the last factory was closed in the early 1990s). The most famous locally produced wine is called "Monte Verde". Since 1852 an annual Wine Festival has taken place in the town. Near Zielona Gora, in the village of Ochla, there is an open-air ethnographic museum of traditional country architecture from this part of present day Poland.
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