River Spree in Berlin at the eastern harbour (Osthafen) with the 'Badeschiff' bath

The Spree (Slavic Špreva) is a river in Saxony, Brandenburg and Berlin, Germany. It is a tributary of the Havel river and 403 km in length.

The source is located in the Lusatian Hills (Lausitzer Bergland) on the Czech border. Further north the river enters the Spreewald, a large wetlands area, that is identical with the settlement areas of the Sorbs. In its final portion the river runs through the city centre of Berlin to join the Havel river in the western quarters of the German capital.

Towns on the river's course include: Bautzen, Spremberg, Cottbus, Lübbenau, Lübben, Fürstenwalde and Berlin.

The river gave its name to several German districts:

• Spree-Neiße
• Oder-Spree

External links

• Panorama Spree (http://www.panorama-cities.net/berlin/spree.html) - Panoramic view of the river in Berlin