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 CONFLUENCE - Spreewald - Spree
N 51° 51.959 E 013° 58.433
33U E 429347 N 5746629
Spreewald
Waymark Code: WM3A8D
Location: Brandenburg, Germany
Date Posted: 03/04/2008
Views: 74
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With a lengths of roughly 250 miles, the Spree river cannot compete with Germany’s longest rivers but it is famous for two reasons:
Firstly: It is the river flowing through Germany’s capital Berlin; right before it reaches its destination, joining with the larger river Havel.
Secondly (and more important): About half way between its origin in the Lusatian Hills and its destination in Berlin, the river forms a unique landscape not found anywhere else in the world, the Spreewald:
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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 formaly 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 manmade but really are a freak of nature.
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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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These are just some of the many channels discharging into the main river.
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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 fire brigade (left). Everybody else, including the postal service (right) has to use muscle power.
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If you want to tour this marvelous place, we recommend to start in Lübbenau, the largest harbor in the region. There are two ways to explore this region; either by booking a ride with one of the many punts or by renting a kayak. We did both. Check out our Boat Ride and our Kayaking waymarks for more information...
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...or just tour our favorite pictures:
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Of course, our travel mascot, Bernd das Brot was with us all the way. We hope you enjoyed our little tour. For more information and more pictures, check out all the blue links as they will take you to our other Spreewald Waymarks.
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Parking Coordinates: N51°51.979' E13°58.403'
Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]
Trailhead Coordinates: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
1. Describe your journey and visit.
2. Date of your visit.
3. At least one original photo (DO NOT include either you or your GPSr).
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