Spreewald

The Spreewald is a region in Brandenburg in the east of Germany.

Typical Spreewald atmosphere. By Felix Gottwald.

Cities

• Lübbenau
• Lübben
• Burg (Spreewald)
• Schlepzig

Get in

• The main entry points to the Spreewald are Lübben, Lübbenau and Burg (Spreewald). Lübben and Lübbenau are pretty touristic but can be reached directly by train. Burg (Spreewald) is more quiet and more beautiful if you are interested in nature and canoeing. However, the latter can only be reached by car.
• By car from Berlin: Follow the A113 south out of the city. At "Schönefelder Kreuz", continue south on the highway A13 to Dresden. Leave the A13 at the exits Lübben or Lübbenau or continue t the "Dreieck Spreewald" (junction of highways A13 and A15) on the A15 towards "Vetschau". Leave the A15 at the exit "Vetschau" and continue to Burg (Spreewald).
• By train from Berlin: Take the regional train RE2 from Zoologischer Garten, Hauptbahnhof, Friedrichstraße, Alexanderplatz or Ostbahnhof to Lübben or Lübbenau.

Do

• Take a guided boat tour on one of the traditional barges to experience the beautiful nature in this area. The barges are moved forward by punting - similarly to the gondolas in Venice. Usually,
• Hire a canoe or kayak from one of the plenty to paddle some of the hundreds of kilometers of waterways yourself.
• Take a hiking or cycle tour in the beautiful nature and landscape. Numerous quiet hiking and bicycle tracks lead through the beautiful nature.
• Relax in the great new Spreewald Therme (Thermal Spa) in Burg (Spreewald).
• Visit the museum village Lehde near Lübbenau.
• Visit the rebuilt Slavic Fort at Raddusch, 15 km south of Burg (Spreewald).
• Visit the impressing post-mining landscape that left large areas devastated land (undergoing rehabilitation) south of Cottbus and the Spreewald.

Eat

Dishes

• Do not miss to try the large variety of pickled cucumbers (cornichons), horseradish, linseed oil and "Sauerkraut" - that is what the region if famous for. Pickeld cucumbers are available sour, with herbs, with garlic, with mustard - the choices are almost infinite.
• Pike and pike-perch (sweetwater predatory fish) served with a heavy sauce made from cream, flour and horseradish.
• Potatoes with cream cheese, onions and linseed oil (you really have to get used to the latter).

Locations

• Alter Spreewaldbahnhof (Burg (Spreewald)) - Located in the historic station of a now closed light railway that connected the villages in the upper Spree forest with Cottbus. Drinks and desserts (with small firework fountains) are delivered to the table by a large model railway. Very nice interior with uncountable antiques and collectibles related to railways. Reasonably good regional and German cuisine, but not top end. But definitely great fun, especially if you are with kids or a fan of model railways yourself.
• 17fuffzig (Burg (Spreewald)) - Haute cuisine, located in the Resort & Spa "Zur Bleiche" (see Stay / Do). Pretty expensive, but worth it.
• Kaupen No. 6 (Lübbenau) - Good local food served in an authentic place, an old renovated farmers' house. Can not be reached by car, only on foot or by boat (both from Lübbenau).
• Zum Grünen Strand der Spree (Schlepzig) - Excellent food served in a nice ambiente in a small village in the lower Spree Forest.
• Glück Auf! (Burg (Spreewald)) - Here, the GDR (German Democratic Republic) is still alive! Three old ladies in nylon aprons serve good plain cooking. Huge servings and great value. Better to skip the other meals of the day before you go there. Warning: sometimes closed for no obvious reason or because of private parties.

Drink

• Local beer from a small brewery in Lübbenau ("Babben-Bier") is served in many restaurants in the area.
• The restaurant / hotel "Zum Grünen Strand der Spree" in Schlepzig serves beer from it's own in-house brewery. Seasonal beer specialities are offered. The beer can also bought for take-away.

Stay safe

• Canoeing is absolutely safe because most of the waterways (except for a few larger ones) are only knee-deep.
• Mosquitoes and horse-flies can be pretty annoying in wet summers and summers following mild winters. However, repellents will help.

Get out

• Same way as you got in ;-).

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