The Spree ( , ; , , ; in Lower Sorbian also called , ; ; ) is a river in Germany and the Czech Republic. With a length of approximately , it is the main tributary of the Havel River. The Spree is much longer than the Havel, which it flows into at Berlin-Spandau; the Havel then flows into the Elbe at Havelberg. The river rises in the Lusatian Highlands, in the Lusatian part of Saxony, where it has three sources: the historical one called Spreeborn in the village of , the water-richest one in Neugersdorf, and the highest elevated one in Eibau. The Spree then flows northwards through Upper and Lower Lusatia, where it crosses the border between Saxony and Brandenburg. After passing through Cottbus, it forms the Spree Forest (), a large inland delta and biosphere reserve. It then flows through Lake Schwielochsee before entering Berlin, as

The Spree is the main river of Berlin, Brandenburg, Lusatia, and the settlement area of the Sorbs, who call the river ; the name derives ultimately from Proto-Germanic 'to spring forth'. For a very short distance close to its sources, the Spree constitutes, as , the border between Germany and the Czech Republic. The Spree's longest tributaries are Dahme (confluence in Berlin-Köpenick) and Schwarzer Schöps (; confluence in Boxberg/O.L.-), other well-known tributaries (since they are Berlin rivers) are Panke and Wuhle.

Course

thumb|upright=1.5|Course of Spree River with its natural and artificial affluents and branches. In addition the canals joining the Spree and Havel river system to Oder River.

It rises in the Lusatian Mountains and flows north through Bautzen and Spremberg.

In the Spreewald the river passes through the towns of Lübbenau, Lübben and Leibsch. Just below Leibsch, the Dahme Flood Relief Canal diverts water from the Spree to run into the River Dahme at Märkisch Buchholz. The Spree continues north from Leibsch before flowing into the Neuendorfer See at the northern edge of the Spreewald. From the Neundorfer See it then flows in an easterly direction to the Schwielochsee, and then in a northerly and westerly direction to the town of Fürstenwalde. From Fürstenwalde the river continues to flow westwards, through the Dämeritzsee and Müggelsee, to Köpenick in the southeastern part of Berlin, where it is joined by its tributary, the River Dahme.

The final reach of the Spree is where it is best known. It flows through the city centre of Berlin to join the River Havel in Spandau, one of Berlin's western boroughs, which itself ultimately merges with the Elbe to enter the sea in Cuxhaven, after flowing through Hamburg. On its route through Berlin, the river passes Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom), the Reichstag and the Schloss Charlottenburg. The renowned Museum Island (Museumsinsel), with its collection of five major museums, is an island in the Spree.

Small craft, such as punts, are widely used in wetlands of the Spreewald. Larger craft can reach as far upstream as Leibsch, although the upper reaches are relatively shallow and are generally used only by leisure craft. Some intermediate reaches are unnavigable and by-passed by canals.

Berlin Wall

Many people died in the Spree during the Cold War while trying to cross the Berlin Wall, including children who drowned when rescuers were not allowed to enter the river to save them.

<gallery>

File:Pohled z mostu - panoramio (1).jpg|Spree in Bautzen

File:Sprjewja w Połpicy 1.JPG|Spree north of Bautzen

File:Spreewald ausflugskahn 02.jpg|Spree in the Spreewald

File:Oberbaumbruecke beim Berliner Osthafen cropped.jpg|Spree in central Berlin, with Oberbaum Bridge

File:Spree Shore Berlin (46908854455).jpg|Spree Shore in Berlin Friedrichshain

File:Bodemuseum - Front.jpeg|Bode Museum at the tip of Museum Island in the Spree

File:Berlin-Spandauer Schifffahrtskanal, Schiff bei Kanaleinfahrt.jpg|Spree with Berlin Hauptbahnhof & the entrance of a canal

File:Berlin - Bundeskanzleramt - Nacht - 2013.jpg|The Federal Chancellery (Berlin) on the Spree

File:Fernsehturm seen from the Spree August 2024.jpg|Spree in Mitte with view of Fernsehturm Berlin

File:Spree river, Cottbus, Germany (2011).jpg|Spree in Cottbus

</gallery>

References

  • Panorama Spree - Panoramic view of the river in Berlin