Green Venice the so-called Spreewald situated about 100 kilometres to the south of Berlin, is really an extraordinary natural experience of a Brandenburg’s holiday destination. Since 1991 the Spreewald gained UNESCO’s recognition as to a biosphere reserve, and thus became part of the worldwide net of extensively defined nature reserves. Rare species of flora and fauna does find here its habitat.

Water arms (rivulets) closed together are forming a system while meandering through the Spreewald. From the waterway’s system of about 300 kilometres you might like to discover both the upper and the lower Spreewald with canoe, waka-canoe, kayak or more relaxed by a guided trip in a punt. There are a lot of small moorings and more important harbours for the pleasure boats which offer short trips as well as day trips with the most beautiful journeys. While going past meadows, forest and pastureland, you may also have a look upon meticulously preserved cabins roofed with straw and reeds as much as giving a reference for the Slavonic colonization since the sixth century. Even in the winter time boating is possible because of the pleasure to go for an outing with hot mulled wine or only with a special service so that it’s for sure you’ll be very well wrapped up. When frost is coming strong, the waterways and the ditches freeze over, while tourists can skate or go rambling on ice through an enchanted winter landscape.

This waterway system is replenished with more than 1,000 kilometres of well strengthened cycle paths. Thus, for example, one circular bike ride may be done through 260 kilometres on the “Cucumber” cycle path, so-called because auf the regional delicacy, the pickled gherkin of the Spreewald. This track is going along the side of cucumber cultivation area and the necessary manufacturing industry for pickled gherkins. If anyone once would like to pick himself the genuine Spreewald’s cucumber, could find this opportunity of using the famous “cucumber plane” from the end of June to mid-September. Hence, each person interested may learn more about cultivation, care and, of course, harvest of the world-renowned Spreewald’s cucumber. Thus, you’re just “flying” about 50 metres per hour over the field of cucumbers, while picking your own cucumbers and get pleasure out of doing by young and old.

Likewise the “Crane cycle path of the Spreewald” and the “Spree cycle path” invite to hike, to ride a bike or to go for a walk. First in the region of Berlin-Brandenburg the district of Dahme-Spreewald does offer a dot area of electric bike rental centres and change of rechargeable batteries. Not only the traditional bicycle dealers of the district belong to the rental centres but also hotels, campsites, private lessors or places of popular resort.

The Spreewald belongs to the settled region of the Sorbs/Wends, a Slavic tribe with its own language and culture (Sorbian: Błota = Spreewald). Folklore in Spreewald and Lusatia forms part of the most beautiful German region’s traditional dress. The region gains a lot from the lively custom. Sorbs and Wends who still inhabit here, leaving their mark upon this area by the language, the wonderful dress and the custom. Women‘s ornately embroidered bonnets or filigree work of the Sorbian Easter eggs left a lasting impression. Visitors are invited to the domestic festivities and to the workshops of the handicrafts’ people who embroider traditional costumes or produce clogs.

With regard to a culinary experience, the Spreewald can offer healthy diet. The highest degree of fame has to be attributed to the Spreewald’s pickled gherkin. Everybody has a fantastic taste of gherkins, whether pickled, or spiced, or with mustard seeds. Regional meals too, like quark with linseed oil, and above all, fish as well as venison exquisitely prepared and with full taste dished up by the inns of the Spreewald that are quite often situated either in the middle of the Spreewald or at the water’s edge, will whet your appetite. Experience may surge up while attending the event as if to say “round & sound – pumpkin weeks in the Spreewald” where you can discover a diverse offer around the healthy pumpkin, in order from the agreeable massage treatment with pumpkin seed oil, the pumpkin cake, to the pumpkin-mint jelly. The “fish weeks in the Spreewald” invite to start together the winter season from November onwards. The well-known logotype of the Spreewald guarantees the consumer majority of the used raw material and necessaries coming from this region and fulfilling strict quality and environmental requirements. It has to give aid orientation towards the consumer and, at the same time, increase the recognition factor of the genuine Spreewald’s products and services.

Each category desired permits a suitable overnight accommodation in the Hotels and guest houses. A wide choice of private letting makes the offer complete. Most of the accommodations are either midst of the green lung or directly on the waterfront. On numerous occasions hosts submit offers to the holiday-makers concerning handicapped accessible need or limit, too. Eight lakes in the Spreewald’s countryside with nice bathing shores make also available water sports. And there are camping grounds with state-of-the-art equipment at the densely wooded lakeside.

Four baths not dependent on the weather are additional locations of the natural experience that happens in the Spreewald. Thus, the Spreewald’s hot springs is a saltwater spa in the nature with some peculiarities like the brine inhalation in a big gherkin cask or the traditional wooden bath tub shaped as a barge, all that you’ll find at Burg (Spreewald). Should you prefer to go swimming with penguins and to relax in an extraordinary spa and sauna facility, you’ll come to the right place within the “Spreewelten” at Bad Lübbenau/Spreewald. “Tropical Islands“ offers good feeling like a tropical world for holiday with a dreamlike temperature of 26 °C during 365 days a year: this plot of the tropics is 66‘000 square metres including the worldwide largest indoor rainforest, the most important public tropical sauna facility in Europe, a “South Sea’s sandy beach” beyond 200 metres, and many superlatives more. Likewise you can get surely a lot of fun within the “Lagune” in Cottbus, for pleasure will happen in the wave pools, the whirl pool bath, the current duct, the giant waterslide, the turbo-slide, the pool for swimming competition, the sauna, the solaria, and the outdoor swimming pool opened from May through August.

The city of Cottbus in the south-east is one of the places of popular resort to catch quickly. Culture, art and nature invite to get to know, to admire and to take a break. Cottbus enjoys a good reputation as city of culture and art especially with the Prince Pückler Park and with Pückler’s Pyramids, the Park laid out through the Spree Meadows, the castle of Branitz and the State Theatre.

Contact address:
Tourismusverband Spreewald e.V.
Lindenstraße 1, Raddusch
03226 Vetschau/Spreewald