The Spreewald

I'd like to tell you about my kayak-vacation of May 1999

Kayak rentals:

Where to find the Spreewald

The Spreewald (forest of the river Spree) is situated in the former East Germany 70 km south of Berlin. The area is about 12 x 40 km existing mainly of forest. The river Spree spreads out in different branches like a delta, but at the end of the forest they all come together again. Between the arms of the river are many small streams and man-made canals. Water-level is kept under control by a few dozen barrages. Most of them also have locks for small boats. You have to operate them by yourself as usually there is nobody there. At all the locks there are canoe-piers to carry over canoes. The main entrance to the area is the town Lübbenau, but you also find other small places in the area like Burg in the east, Lübben in the west and Leipe and Lehde inside the forest. Many of the local people are descendants of the Sorbs, a Slavic people that entered the area in the 9th century. They have their own language, which you can find back on signs sometimes and hear on a local radio station. They all speak German though. If you like canoeing, and if you like the nature of forests, this is the place to be.

How to get there

From my home-town Den Helder (in the west of the Netherlands) it was 790 km. I carried my own canoe on my car. This slowed my cruising-speed down to 90 to 100 km/hour and it took me 10 hours to get there. I passed the towns Groningen, Bremen, Hannover and Berlin. I was happy to notice the highway between Hannover and Berlin has been improved a lot during the past years. The highway leading south from Berlin is still in terrible shape, though. If you don't mind renting a canoe at the Spreewald, you can travel a lot faster. By public transport Lübbenau is reachable by train. There is a train-service twice an hour from Berlin Bahnhof Ost. It takes exactly one hour by train from Berlin.

Camping on the water-side

There is one big camping-side on the water: "Am SchloBpark".  As it is rather popular it is recommended to make a reservation. The landlord is Gerd Rähm, phone/fax 03542-3533 (private and in winter 035456-5158). You'll need to speak some German as they are not used to people from outside Germany to visit the area. The camping-site is situated just outside Lübbenau behind a park belonging to a castle. From the highway take exit 9 towards Lübbenau (Altstadt). You pass the the railway-station and from there signs will lead you towards the camping-site.

As an alternative you can also camp on a small field behind the guesthouse of the Nopper family at Bergstraße 11 (phone 03542-2661). This also is on the water-side.

How to get around

It is a good thing to bring your own canoe. Also there are numerous places where you can rent canoes of different types and sizes. As usual these canoes are stable and easy for beginners, but also they are slow. Also I noticed people having great difficulties getting forward because of the poor quality of the paddles. They sometimes give paddles that we consider toys. It is a good thing to buy a map of the many water-ways in the area. At the camping-site I purchased a map with a scale of 1:50,000. This is a very accurate map. Only in the north-eastern part I discovered a few minor errors. At all intersections of waterways there are signs on the trees with the name of the canal. If you may get lost and don't know whether to turn left or right at a canal, watch which way the water is running. There are also some hiking-routes in the area, and there are bicycles for rent. Very popular (among the elderly) is taking a boat-trip with a traditional kahn. This is a wooden boat pulled forward by a large stick. It goes slow and easy. If you understand German you can learn a lot about the forest from the man operating the boat.

A day to Berlin

If you need a day of rest from paddling, it is a good idea to make a trip to Berlin. The railway-station is only a 15 minutes walk away, and the train will bring you to the center of Berlin in exactly one hour. If you buy a ticket for the train you can get a 1-day ticket valid on all subways (S-bahn and U-bahn) for a discount price. It is possible to drive your car into town, but personally I don't like this as parking is often difficult and expensive in big cities. You can also drive to Königs-Wusterhausen, a town just outside Berlin, and take the S-bahn from here.

Down stream

I don't know if it is possible to paddle the Spree any further upstream than the Spreewald. Paddling the Hauptspree I came no futher than the village Burg, as here is a barrage without a possibility to carry the canoe to the other side. You can paddle it downstream though. I followed the river (by car) to the north and came along many beautiful places with lakes and also many camp-sites. There is a nice starting-point at the southernmost point of the Schwielochsee at the village Goyatz-Guhlen. Further to the north at Beeskow I could not resist to take may canoe into the water and make a short trip. Just a hundred yards south of the bridge in the centre of town is a  park where you can take the canoe to the water. Also they have a canoe-club a little further on.

The Spree near Beeskow

It must be possible to go as far downstream until you reach Berlin. Just in the city-centre between 'Haus der Kulturen der Welt' and the locks near the Jannowitzbrücke all unmotorized boats are prohibited.  At Spandau the Spree ends in the river Havel. At the moment it is not possible to turn  north towards the Tegeler See, because they are building new locks in the Havel.