Traveling between Cottbus and Alt-Schadow, this guide follows the River Spree as it unfurls across what must be one of the most fascinating marshy landscapes in Europe: the Spree Forest. From its wide and narrow rivulets to its low island sand banks where early settlers made their homes, this travel companion demonstrates how the region has been an agricultural backwater for centuries, boasting a unique animal and plant world which has been protected as a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1991. The unspoiled scenery is explored, shown as culturally balanced by the area's many castles, churches, museums, and points of interest on water meadows, best seen from the river on a traditional punt. The reconstructed Slavic fort of Raddusch is depicted, and in many village fetes, old customs and costumes are displayed and traditions such as Hahnrupfen and Stollenreiten explained. Additional features focus on the infamous Spreewald gherkin, famed writer of hymns Paul Gerhardt, and the sagas and fairy tales of the region.
