Vetschau, 30 March 2023
At Easter, the Spreewald starts into spring. At the large harbours in Lübben and Lübbenau, the ferrymen decorate the barges and accompanied by women in Lower Sorbian festive costumes, they say goodbye to winter and welcome the warm season. In Lübbenau, with the opening of the Gurkenmeile (Gherkin Mile), guests will once again find a wide selection of the most famous Spreewald vegetable, and the first spring barge trips will bring guests to the unique cultural landscape of the Spreewald.
Booking situation in the Spreewald
"Our guests tend to book at shorter notice and this year holiday bookings started later than in previous years," explains Annette Ernst, head of the Spreewald Tourism Association. "Nevertheless, we are satisfied with the bookings for the Easter holidays. There are still a few places to stay in the Spreewald for last-minute bookings. "Especially in Lübbenau, visitors can still book nice holiday accommodation," explains Daniel Schmidgunst, Deputy Managing Director of the Spreewald Tourist Information Lübbenau e.V..
"A lot of bookings are currently being received for active tours - with the cucumber cycle path leading the way," explains Annette Ernst. Jan Hornhauer from the town of Calau recommends a visit to the eagle and hunting falcon farm in Werchow and the "Calauer Schweiz" hiking area located there, with its observation tower and legend trail, among other things. "People want to get out into nature more and actively cycle, hike and canoe. We have put together many new cycling and hiking tours in the Spreewald this winter, which are easy to find on the spreewald.de website," says Annette Ernst.
Easter Highlights in the Spreewald
Throughout the Spreewald, visitors can experience a variety of living customs on Easter weekend. The most well-known custom, Easter egg decorating, can be admired at demonstrations and tried out for yourself. On Easter Sunday, the traditional Wendish church procession in Burger can be admired and numerous Easter bonfires bathe the many Spreewald villages in a very special light. Families can discover the Sorbian/Wendish Easter play Walleien in the Burger Heimatstube and, in addition to fun and games, taste Easter sandwiches from the Mieth bakery at the family afternoon on Easter Sunday at the Burger Festplatz.
Marit Dietrich, Managing Director of Tourismus, Kultur und Stadtmarketing Lübben (Spreewald) GmbH, invites all families and interested people to the start of the Lübben family city rally on Easter Monday: "Two playful discovery tours, each lasting about 2 hours, will take you past interesting monuments, buildings and sights such as Schlossinsel, Wasserspielplatz, Schloss, Marktplatz and through the city centre. For the correct solution word, there will be a small Lübben present at the Spreewald-Service Lübben on the castle island."
In Luckau, the Tulip Festival will take place on 16 April in the LAGA Park. The Luckau people have chosen the country of origin of the tulips as the motto: Asia. With Asian music, actors in costume, rickshaws between the tulip blossoms and a large supporting programme, the town is getting in the mood for the most beautiful time of the year.
On the weekend before Easter, the Spreewald season is ceremoniously opened in Schlepzig. The first spring barge trips take place. On the evening of Easter Saturday, things get cosy as the Easter fire blazes at the Weidendom, there is live music and barbecue specialities.
Open your ears: if you want to explore the town of Burg (Spreewald), you can do so via the new audio tour Burger ZeitGeist. "At five different stations, the smartphone becomes a storyteller - free of charge and at any time," reports Jessica Ziebe, head of tourism at the Burg (Spreewald) office, "During the audio tour, listeners can immerse themselves wonderfully in the world of legends and traditions, in the history of the region with its special features.
Spreewald marathon - on the cucumber, get going!
Things get really sporty three weeks later, from 20 - 23 April 2023, when sports enthusiasts from near and far come to the Spreewald Marathon, which leads through the unique Spreewald Biosphere Reserve. "Not only for professionals is the Spreewald Marathon a special experience - with the many disciplines such as running, walking, hiking, paddling, cycling, skating, run & bike, everyone will find their discipline - families with children are also welcome," Annette Ernst, head of the Spreewald Tourism Association. "This year, for the first time, Lübbenau will act as the starting and finishing point for the cycling marathon, which will be held in different distances over 70, 110 and 200 km," says Daniel Schmidgunst, Deputy Managing Director of the Spreewald Tourist Information Lübbenau e.V..
