(German: "Spree forest")
Boggy region in Niederlausitz in the German state of Brandenburg. The area became marshy and forested (predominantly with alders) at the end of the last ice age, when the river Spree divided into over 200 minor streams.
Through artificial drainage, large parts of the Spreewald have been converted to meadows and fields, for the cultivation of, among other crops, cucumbers. Other parts have become popular tourist spots, with sport sailing and several museums.
In 1991, U.N.E.S.C.O. declared the Spreewald a biosphere sanctuary.