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| Spree Forest Spreewald Błota | |
|---|---|
 The Spree Forest Biosphere Reserve | |
 Interactive map of Spree Forest Spreewald Błota | |
| Location | Brandenburg |
| Coordinates | 51°54′50″N13°55′35″E / 51.91389°N 13.92639°E /51.91389; 13.92639 |
| Designated | Biosphere reserve |
| Website | Official website |
TheSpree Forest orSpreewald (German pronunciation:[ˈʃpʁeːˌvalt]ⓘ;Lower Sorbian:Błota,pronounced[ˈbwɔta], i.e. 'the Swamps') is a largeinland delta of the riverSpree, and a historicalcultural landscape located in the region of (Lower)Lusatia, in the state ofBrandenburg, Germany, about 100 km southeast ofBerlin and close to the city ofCottbus (L.S. Chóśebuz). The Spree Forest is located within the settlement area of the(Lower) Sorbs, and the region is officially bilingual, German and Lower Sorbian.
As extensivefloodplain andbog landscape, the Spree Forest was designated abiosphere reserve byUNESCO in 1991, calledBiosphärenreservat Spreewald (biosferowy rezerwat Błota). It is known for its traditional irrigation system, consisting of more than 200 small canals (calledFließe; total length: 1,300 kilometres or 810 miles) within the 484-square-kilometre (187 sq mi) area, for its uniqueflora andfauna, and for its traditionalflat-bottomed boats, theSpreewaldkähne. The landscape was shaped during thelast Ice Age.
The region's most populous towns areLübbenau/Spreewald (L.S. Lubnjow/Błota), which is known for the incorporated villages ofLehde (Lědy) andLeipe (Lipje), the villages with canals instead of streets, andLübben (Spreewald) (Lubin (Błota)). Other notable towns areVetschau/Spreewald (Wětošow/Błota) with its reconstructed Old Slavic fortified wooden settlement (gord)Slawenburg Raddusch (Radušańske słowjańske groźišćo), andBurg (Spreewald) (Bórkowy (Błota)).
About 50,000 people live in the biosphere reserve (1998). Many of them are descendants of the first settlers in the Spree Forest region, theSlavic tribes of theSorbs andWends. They have preserved their traditional language, customs and clothing to this day.
Most inhabitants depend on tourism. Many tourists explore the Spree Forest inpunts. Agriculture, forestry and fishery are other important sources of income. The principal town of the area isLübbenau.
The Spree Forest gave its name to the followingGerman districts:
Alder forests on wetlands and pine forests on sandy dry areas are characteristic of the Spree Forest region. Grasslands and fields can be found as well. About 18,000 species of flora and fauna have been identified. In 1991, the Spree Forest was designated a UNESCO"Biosphärenreservat" (Man and Biosphere Reserve Programme).
The Spree Forest is a tourist destination, and a centre of production of natural organic products. The tourism and economic demarcation of the Spree Forest is thus much more difficult than its geographical extension. Due to its popularity and the associated advantage, the borders of the Spree Forest tourism and business area have increasingly extended beyond the original bounds of the Spree Forest. This is particularly true of the regional food industry, as the Spree Forest economic area created for this industry (famed in Germany for theSpreewald gherkin and otherpickles) is much larger than the ecological Spree Forest. This economic area is protected by theProtected Geographical Indication scheme of the EU.[1] Before the legal protection of the space there were several court disputes over the designation Spree Forest on food labels.
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