Spree Forest Attractions Spreewald
The Spreewald (Sorbian Blota, "marshland") is a charming area of woodland and water 100km/60mi south of Berlin. Its uniqueness lies not only in the pattern of its landscape but also in the individuality of the Sorbs who make up the majority of the population.
In the past the only means of transport in the Spreewald was by boat on the numerous little watercourses, and every farm had its own little harbor. Nowadays, with protection against flooding and regulation of the water supply, the Spreewald has become an area of intensively cultivated large farm holdings.
In 1908 a boatmen's association was founded at Lübbenau, the gateway to the Spreewald, and more than half a million visitors a year are now taken around the area in punts by the local boatmen.
In the past the only means of transport in the Spreewald was by boat on the numerous little watercourses, and every farm had its own little harbor. Nowadays, with protection against flooding and regulation of the water supply, the Spreewald has become an area of intensively cultivated large farm holdings.
In 1908 a boatmen's association was founded at Lübbenau, the gateway to the Spreewald, and more than half a million visitors a year are now taken around the area in punts by the local boatmen.
Spree Forest Landscape
The Spreewald is a damp low-lying area traversed by numerous streams, with patches of sand and dunes. The scattered villages characteristic of the Spreewald developed on these sand islands. The highest part, in the south, was built up from deposits laid down by the Spree during the last ice age.
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Oberspreewald
The Oberspreewald begins at the little town of Burg. Between here and Lübben, the Spree and its tributary the Malxe, with a fall of only 7m/23ft in a course of 34km/21mi, split up into innumerable little streams. Here the trees lining the banks of the streams alternate with expanses of meadowland and patches of arable land and gardens.
Unterspreewald
In the Unterspreewald, below Lübbe, the Spree again divides into a number of different channels. This old glacier basin, filled up by deposits from the Spree, is now occupied by permanent grassland, fenwood and arable land. Those areas of the Spreewald that are safe from flooding have been settled since early times by Sorbs, with their own cultural traditions and characteristic costumes.
