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Iron ham
to travel
Spreewald
Spreewald
Bike and Boat
Those who limit their Spreewald tour to asphalt roads are missing the essentials: An ancient network of waterways leads through the middle of unspoilt forests? ideal for long canoe hikes.
Sylvia Lischer
08/18/2003
11.30 a.m. The mail arrives. I quickly park the Sachs Roadster 800 on the side of the road and watch the daily spectacle on the Spree Canal. Half-covered by the unspoilt alluvial forest, a bright yellow boat glides past, a painted horn on the bow, the messenger stalking like a Venetian gondolier, with a watertight mailbag on the stern. Everyday life in an amphibious world, where some mailboxes can only be reached by boat. A scrutinizing look at the map. Between Leibsch in the north and Vetschau in the south, the Spree branches out into hundreds of arms, ditches and canals. In between there are little streets marked as thin as a thread, on which I want to push my motorcycle as far as possible into the heart of the Spreewald. But the dead end village of Lehde is the end of the line for the Sachs and me. The postman has free travel, heaves another package on the bank and then stalks on into the green Venice of Brandenburg. I slowly chug back to Lubbenau, where the main Spree Canal forms a kind of Grand Canal. But instead of the Rialto Bridge and the Doge’s Palace, rustic wooden bridges and farmhouses dominate the scene. In the front gardens typical regional props: boats as flower pots and garden sheds made from cucumber barrels, Spreewald cucumbers on the left, Spreewald cucumbers on the right ?? On the way to the Great Spreewaldhafen I come across the local bestseller in all imaginable variations. Pickles, mustard pickles, garlic, pepper or dill pickles. Fresh from the barrel at the market stalls, in the souvenir shops made of green plush, on the walls as Pop Art posters in Andy Warhol style. At the »harbor«, the Sachs and I are surrounded in no time by a Berlin excursion group that is pushing into the waiting wooden barges. Port Terminals A, B, C, D and E, 30 people per boat. Two gentlemen are ecstatic at the sight of the roadster, as they were on the road with Sachs mopeds more than 50 years ago. After repeated loudspeaker announcements, “Departure to Wotschofska”, they decide to take the boat trip without inclining. With seat cushions, tablecloths and porcelain dishes. Every Spreewald village has its own boat harbor, larger towns even two. Or four like Lubben, which I can reach by flying over the B 115. A short detour to Kahnfahrhafen 1 with the nickname “Funny gherkins”, then I advance in concentric circles into the Spreewald center. Over the “Roter Nil” canal, finally onto the B 320 and, if you are lucky, on to Postbautenstrasse. Past the “Takko” fashion market, the “Reno” shoe center and the “dixi” drink source. Then comes the sign saying “Biosphere Reserve” and suddenly everything is green. But driving fun on the narrow forest road does not even last ten minutes: a dead end without prior notice. A few kilometers further, near Radensdorf, the next attempt. According to the map, the junction from the main road should lead over to Bukoitza and there criss-cross through the Spreewald. Excitedly, I direct the Sachs over the narrow asphalt strip to the north, pass meadows, forests, canals, and come across the tiny hamlet of Bukoitza. But for the next five hundred meters, only a few occasional cycle path signs anticipate the approaching no-passage sign. Cursing, I rush back to Radensdorf and turn from there via Alt Zauche and Wubwerk to Burg. The route has a calming effect. Although it only leads along the outer Spreewald, it has excellent curves for the motorcycle. At the end of the forest route, you can take a break in Burg’s Spreewaldhafen. Dish of the day: Spreewald cucumber goulash or stewed cucumbers … While I eat the specialties, canoes and kayaks pull across the canal. Straight into the jungle-like alluvial forests that no motorcycle can reach. I’ll do it differently tomorrow! Certainly. But now I want to cucumber a little through the landscape with the 800. Kauper Castle, Leipe, Raddusch. Barely as wide as a car, the secondary route meanders through forests, meadows and past harvested fields. Horses peer from their paddocks, cows from their pastures and storks from their nests, which tower over the farms like cartwheels. Back in Lubbenau, I take another detour via Luckau to the Unterspreewald. Schlepzig, Leipsch, Neuendorfer See, Grob Wasserburg. Barge ferry ports appear, sometimes hardly larger than village swimming pools. And inns that try to outdo each other with sophisticated cucumber dishes. As the sun goes down, storks pass over me like battle squadrons. Thousands of cobwebs glitter on the reeds along the canals. Indian summer has begun. The next morning it happens. I rent a canoe in Lubbenau. There is also a rough water map, the canals, the landlord explains to me, are almost entirely signposted: “Grobes Flieb”, “Suez Canal”, “Gurkengraben”. Understood. Like the last of the Mohicans, I set off into the wilderness and after a few paddle strokes I glide past neat wooden houses and boat garages. Signs on the right, signs on the left: »Keep the entrance clear«, »No passage», »Warning of the dog«. Geranium buckets stand on the bank like on a window ledge. This is followed by a waterway cafe, next to it a stand that you can sometimes find on federal highways ?? with baskets full of apples and vegetables and buckets full of flowers. Lehder Flieb, corner of the main Spree canal, the first big challenge: a weir to circumnavigate via a side canal followed by a boat roll. I get out, pull, push and roll until the kayak splashes into the main Spree. Straight into the lane of the fat Spreewald excursion boats ?? the trucks of the waterways, so to speak. A small tussle between the canoe and two big ships ensues, and only the threatening Eskimo role makes it clear that the bigger one wins here in principle. I dash away meekly, quickly fleeing the main route into the Hechtgraben. On the left is a kiosk with a boat mooring! A woman in Lehder folk costume praises lemonade, lard bread and pickles in all the rhymes. But three brawny Spreewald barges are already coming in from the side? let’s get out of here. Through the weir canal to Wotschofska ?? the “island in the swamp”, where there has been a traditional restaurant with a beer garden for over a hundred years. A little later I park in the “paddle boat parking lot” and study the menu. Pea soup, sausage, bratwurst. No pickles. Behind Wotschofska the end of civilization seems to have been reached. No boat, no house, no more people. Hardly a ray of sun penetrates through the dense canopy, the roots of stone-old alders protrude from the water like mangroves. I can finally slide quietly through the loneliness. A great spotted woodpecker picks up somewhere, a moorhen sweeps into the bushes, a muskrat appears like a bonsai beaver next to the bow wave. In the evening I made ten kilometers ?? not even a knot of average speed. With a good 500 kilometers of navigable waterways, 490 kilometers remain to be explored. Enough until winter. When the Spree canals are frozen over and the postwoman takes care of their water mailboxes on skates.
Germany: Spreewald
The Spreewald is a very exciting region in the south-east of Berlin, but it is not easy to travel on land. Good cards and if possible
However, a little fun on waterways makes for great summer fun.
The fastest way to get there is via the A 13 Berlin – Dresden to the Lubbenau exit. The Hotel Spreewaldhafen, Dorfstrabe 10, in 03226 Raddusch, phone 035433/7860, Internet www.hotel-spreewaldhafen.de offers overnight accommodation in an idyllic location. Overnight stay with breakfast buffet is available for 36.50 euros per person. A family atmosphere prevails in the Pension Scherz »Im Grunen«, Bergstrasse 9a, 03222 Lubbenau, Telephone 03542/46578, Internet www.pensionscherz.de. Overnight stay with a hearty breakfast from 17.50 euros. Water hikingOver 500 kilometers of waterways can be explored with rental canoes or paddle boats. A good selection of boats can be found at the Hannemann family, Am Wasser 1, 03222 Lubbenau, phone 03542/3647. Canoes cost from 20 euros per day. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. from April to October. If you want to go on longer tours in the labyrinth of the Spreewald canals, you need a good map, for example “Water hiking Oberspreewald” on a scale of 1: 25000. Available for six euros from the Spreewald Tourist Information Office (address see below) .DLiteratureA good overview is provided by HB-Bildatlas No. 214 »Spreewald / Lausitz / Markisch-Oderland« for 8.50 euros. Further reading is ?? also via the internet? Can be obtained from the Spreewald Tourist Information Office in Lubbenau (see address below). The Allianz leisure map no. 56 “Spreewald / Niederlausitz” for 4.95 euros is suitable as a map on a scale of 1: 100000. Anyone who gets along better with the scale 1: 200000 can use the general card Pocket No. 7 “Berlin, Wittenberg, Spreewald” for 4.95 euros. 3668, Internet www.spreewald-online.de. There is also an extensive range of literature, hiking, canoeing and cycling maps.
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