www.spreewald.de Welcome Where the to the tropics! Forest is reflected in the Beach, water, palm trees, 26°C every day Water ... and fantastic accommodation, next to the Spreewald forest! Tropical Islands Resort – Europe’s largest tropical holiday world. HOLIDAY IN THE FOREST Fun and relaxation all year round! Just o the A13, Staakow exit or Brand Tropical Islands railway station and free shuttle bus tropical-islands.de/en biosphere reserve sorbian designation for Spreewald Spreewald TOURISMUSVERBAND OUR SERVICES FOR YOU: SPREEWALD · Individual advice and free preparation · Sale of event tickets of packages for group tours, day excursions, · Sale of value and arrangement vouchers team events and all travel programmes in the Spreewald · Free Spreewald brochures in Raddusch, Lindenstraße 1 several languages 03226 Vetschau/Spreewald · Free accommodation service for holiday­ makers throughout the Spreewald Tel. +49 35433 72299 FIND OUT MORE: · Arrangement of city and nature tours OPENING TIMES: as well as guided tours in German and Eng­ WWW.SPREEWALD.DE OR weekdays 8:00 am – 5:00 pm lish for groups; other languages on request WWW.FACEBOOK.DE/SPREEWALD.DE Welcome to the 1st Quality Region of Germany Kiel SCHLESWIG- HOLSTEIN MECKLENBURG- U Schwielochsee VORPOMMERN N Hamburg Schwerin E Goyatz S 48 C Bremen O Schlepzig BRANDENBURG - NIEDERSACHSEN Lower Spreewald B (Słopišća) Lieberose I O S Berlin P Hannover Spreewald H Ä Golßen R E Magdeburg N NORDRHEIN- - WESTFALEN SACHSEN- 46 Between Lake Schwielochsee ANHALT and Upper Spreewald Düsseldorf SACHSEN Lübben 38 Neu Zauche Erfurt Dresden (Spreewald) HESSEN THÜRINGEN R Alt Zauche Peitz RHEINLAND- E Wiesbaden SE PFALZ RV Straupitz (Spreewald) A T S P Mainz REE SAAR- WA L D Saarbrücken 42 Luckau Lübbenau/ BAYERN Burg Spreewald 28 (Spreewald) Stuttgart 36 32 BADEN- WÜRTTEMBERG München Cottbus 50 Vetschau/ Spreewald Content Calau Be our guest in the Spreewald, where natural beauty, Dream holiday Spreewald 2 Source of relaxation 18 Luckau 36 culture, traditions, health and regional cuisine meet Glittering watery labyrinth 4 Magical winter time 20 Lübben (Spreewald) 38 targeted customer orientation, high service and Unique nature experience 6 Exploring history 22 Lübbenau/Spreewald 42 deliberate sustainability. Fun activity holidays 8 Tropical Islands 24 Between Lake Schwielochsee/Upper Spreewald 46 „Q“ is the promise. More than 80 companies The fabled work of a devil 10 Spreewelten 26 Lower Spreewald 48 participate! Cultural heritage 12 Burg (Spreewald) 28 Vetschau/Spreewald 50 Delightfully diverse 14 Accommodations 31 Tourist map 52 ServiceQualität Deutschland Camping & Caravanning 16 Cottbus 32 Impressum 53 QualitätsRegion Spreewald www.spreewald.de 1 Your dream holiday is coming true … Spreewald! Arrive, dive in, let go and enjoy. Let the green meadows, dense woods and romantic streams of the Spreewald natural paradise south of Berlin wash over you and recharge your batteries. The magic of alder islands and the energising effect of healing spring water baths will inspire you to new experiences. So off to the Spreewald and then – motivated by unique impressions – back to everyday life! Come with us on a journey. Find lots of great holiday deals and packages at www.spreewald.de service & booking: Tourismusverband Spreewald, INFO Tel. +49 35433 72299, [email protected] Where the forest is reflected in the water ... Landscape ... Culture ... Tradition ... www.spreewald.de 3 A whole world in itself - the Spreewald waterworld! 1.575 km of waterways… a glittering labyrinth in an enchanting, unique landscape. This is the realm waiting to be conquered from many points of entry either through sports activities or in a more leisurely fashion by canoe or kayak. Less sportive but all the more comfortable is an adventure through the waterworld of the Spreewald by traditional punts which used to be the method of transportation when the waterways were the only roads in the Spreewald. 276 kilometres of the water network in the UNESCO Spreewald Biosphere Reserve are used for tourism and can be explored by paddle boat and canoe. Enjoy the cool INFO water. Experience individual canoe or punt trips. The streams enchant you like a fairytale ... Marvel the nature. Experience individual punt trips. Discover new horizons. www.spreewald.de 5 Unique UNESCO biosphere reserve The kingfisher‘s plumage shines bright blue. One look at it from the water will make you happy! Dragonflies land softly on fragrant water mint blooms. But the beaver too has found his paradise here. The grass snake which accompanies you beside the water prefers to bite frogs and also sits proudly on many gables of historical Spreewald houses. Legend of the snake king: Many gable ends on Spree- wald houses bear two crossed snake heads wearing a crown. The symbol exemplifies the close attachment peo- ple of the Spreewald feel to their legends even today. You can find more information on the mythology of the INFO Spreewald at www.spreewald.de. Pause humbly in the face of nature’s magnificence ... Go on a ranger tour with a nature guard. It is home to the rare kingfisher. The grass snake makes a lasting impression in the legen- dary world. www.spreewald.de 7 Do you prefer the taste of gherkins or to findyourself? The paths in the Spreewald region are beautiful and long. Every destination is worth a visit as even the way there will leave an unforgettable impression. Whether on foot through the mea- dows or by bike to the cucumbers. You can find yourself when doing yoga in a magnificent setting and take on renewed energy. You can choose great ways to spend it in the climbing forest or with stand-up paddling. Discover the uniqueness of nature in the Spreewald along 260 kilometres. The very well constructed Gherkin bicycle path is a circular route leading through the UNESCO biosphere reserve, past picturesque streams, romantic villages and the traditional cucumber fields. www.gurkenradweg.de On a factory tour of SpreewaldRabe discover how gherkins get INFO from the field into the jars or barrels. The heart beats faster, the air tastes fresh ... Yearly Spreewald-Marathon, always in April. Gherkin inlaying company “SpreewaldRabe“ in The bicycle route “Gurkenradweg“ Boblitz (Lübbenau). (www.gurkenradweg.de). www.spreewald.de 9 Legendary Spreewald A special magic lies over this region. When banks of mist lie over dark streams and only the cracking of the trees breaks the silence, the door to another world opens: the Spreewald‘s mythical world. The “Lutki” dwarves live there as do the merman, lady midday and the snake king. They are mostly well disposed towards people and add a mystical splendour to your Spreewald holiday. The devil incarnate once hitched two large black oxen to his yoke in order to break open the river Spree bed. But the animals did not obey and pulled to the right and then to the left. The devil lost his patience and retreated to hell shouting in anger. The oxen continued their chase, incessantly ploughing hundreds of furrows, until they too INFO disappeared and left behind...the Spreewald! Spreewald, a devilish masterpiece ... Water lily – myth symbol. A lucky charm – Gable with snake heads. Lunchtime www.spreewald.de 11 Das kulturelle Erbe des Spreewaldes! Tradition, custom and modern productions Beautiful folk costumes, colorful folk festivals, mystical world of fairy tales and legends ... the Sorbian / Wendian culture will fascinate you. Gerc zagrajo, Walk between the worlds, get to know our Slav roots. Enjoy towzynt ból zažyjo music and art by the „Fließ“, cheer wild riders and dance Polka. Get inspiration from our rich Spreewald culture. The musician starts to play and a thousand pains are healed. (old Sorbian proverb) The Sorbian/Wendish culture was added to the nati- onwide list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2014. This is a compilation of significant Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Federal Republic of Germany and is coordinated by INFO the German UNESCO Commission. Alternating between two worlds ... Spreewald concert Lübbenau Wurlawy – Sorbian costumes have been given a new look Fascinating “Spreewälder Sagennacht” in Burg www.spreewald.de 13 Delights that offer an explosion of taste - branded products from the Spreewald! Your taste buds will celebrate this holiday with you. The beauty and power of the Spreewald is con- densed into the delicious regional products. As golden as linseed oil, as green as cucumber, as red as strawberry. And the yeast pancakes with cinnamon and sugar will take you to the seventh heaven of Spreewald enjoyment. Quality products from the Spreewald can also be found in selected farm shops, direct from the manufacturers and in the holiday resorts in the Spreewald. You can find more information at www.gutes-spreewald.de/kulinarium. Gold from the Spreewald: Linseed oil, won from flax seed, is a typical Plinse/Plinsen: The term is borrowed from the Sorbian component of Spreewald cuisine, e.g. with quark cheese. A tablespoon language. The golden-brown egg or yeast pancankes, every morning taken on its own or with a salad is particularly healthy can be found on the menues of all good Spreewald cafés INFO thanks to its Omega 3 fatty acids. and restaurants. As if nature had scattered gold and precious stones ... Spreewald gherkin - the traditional local product Jacket potatoes with curd and linseed oil Spreewald golden-brown egg or yeast pancankes with apple sauce. www.spreewald.de 15 Breathe deeply again. From A to B with your bags and stay a while where the air tastes best. Take a break with your own four walls on wheels – the Spreewald is the perfect place for every camping fan to find their own piece of holiday joy. Whether on the doorstep of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve or in the midst of things in a Spreewald village, with more than 15 campsites in the area, there is sure to be one to suit.