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 Biosphärenreservat Spreewald - Lehde, Germany
N 51° 51.793 E 013° 59.527
33U E 430597 N 5746305
The swamplands of River Spree became a Biosphere Reserve in 1991
Waymark Code: WMPWDF
Location: Brandenburg, Germany
Date Posted: 10/29/2015
Views: 19
 Picture taken by the author
Spreewald is a unique swampland and delta, formed by the river Spree in the very east of Germany. It is geologically, environmentally and culturally a true "one of a kind." It was well deserved, when the region became a designated UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1991. |
Map courtesy of Heimat-Verlag Lübben |
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Ten thousand years ago, at the end of the last ice age, retracting glaciers carved hundreds of ditches and rifts into a formerly plane landscape.
These ditches were later filled with water from the Spree river, forming 187 square miles (or 120,000 acres) of wetland in a delta system made of tiny channels that often look man-made but really are a freak of nature.
Put together, these channels have a total length of 800 miles - more than three times the lengths of the main river!
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 Picture taken by the author |
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 Picture taken by the author
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Picture courtesy of dienews.de |
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Spreewald is the heartland of the Sorbs, a small Slavonic nation that never had a state of her own. They have preserved their own culture, language and religion. Over the last thousand years, they were ruled by Swedish, Polish, Bohemian, Austrian and German kings at one time or another.
While
Sorbic population in nearby cities suffered severely under foreign domination, the swamps and wetlands of the Spreewald delta were so inaccessible that neither Wallenstein’s soldiers in the 30-Years War of the 1500s, nor Napoleon’s troops in the 1800s, and not even the Russian tanks in World War II left a scar.
The Spreewald-Sorbs lived mostly undisturbed and brought a unique culture with beautiful legends and colorful rituals into the 21st century.
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Most of the area is accessible only by boat.
To preserve the fragile landscape, motor boats are illegal with the exception of only two boats, one belonging to the police and the other one belonging to the fire brigade (below, left). Everybody else, including the postal service (below, right) has to use muscle power. (Click the links to check out our Fire House and Swamp Mail waymarks.)
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There are two ways to explore the region. In a large group by punt or individually by kayak. (Click the links to check out our Boat Tour and Kayak-Tour waymarks.)
Punt and Kayak, Picture taken by the author
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Our disposable camera pictures from the kayak tour didn't turn out too well, but at least we got one piece of evidence (below left).
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Our Team in a Kayak, Picture taken by the author |
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Punt, Picture taken by the author
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There are no plaques regarding the Preserve, so we choose the location of the Spreewald Museum (see pictures below) for the main coordinates.
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 Picture taken by the author |
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 Picture taken by the author
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UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Website: [Web Link]
Size (total area): 47492
Year Designated: 1991
UNESCO Global Geopark website: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Enjoy your visit, tell your story and post a picture.
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