Into the Jungle with the Reichsbahn

Sorbian Images in Spreewald tourism in the early 20th century
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Tourist:innen drängen sich auf den Spreewaldkähnen im Hafen von Burg/Bórkowy. Abbildung aus: Der Spreewald und seine Sommerfrischen. Cottbus [1929], S. 57, Reproduktion
Photo credit:
Tourists crowd onto Spreewald punts at the marina in Burg/Bórkowy. Illustration from: Der Spreewald und seine Sommerfrischen. Cottbus [1929], p. 57. Reproduction. Sorbische Zentralbibliothek Bautzen, Free access - no reuse
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The Spreewald, south-east of Berlin, was already a popular local recreation area for city-dwellers in the early 20th century. By including the Sorbian minority in their natural idyll, the tourist industry created an association between them and the consumer’s longing for an exotic escape.

“Germany’s ‘Green Venice’”

German domestic tourism is booming. One of the most well-known holiday destinations in Germany has long been the 
Spreewald
deu. Spreewald

Spree Forest is a historic cultural landscape in Lower Lusatia. It encompasses the expansive Spree River valley in southeastern Brandenburg. This wetland, characterized by dead-arms and man-made canals (its Sorbian name—Błota—means “swamps”) is now protected as a biosphere reserve.

 to the south-east of Berlin. With recent figures suggesting around 9.2 million visitors (2019) and 2.1 million overnight stays (2025) per year, it is no longer possible to talk about a “hidden gem”.1 And yet, modern-day marketing still seems to rely on the longing of our modern “acceleration society” (Hartmut Rosa) for peace, time out and relaxation. Descriptions of the Spreewald on booking portals and in travel guides thus often repeat the same escapist narrative: untouched nature, far from the noisy city, a supposedly simple way of life in old log cabins, dense forests, extensive moors and wide meadows, criss-crossed with a network of picturesque streams and channels, on which small wooden boats, canoes and stand-up paddle boards glide along in slow motion. “No wonder this region is also known as Germany’s ‘Green Venice,’”2 says the Spreewald Tourist Board.
Eine Trachtenträgerin schmückt den Wegweiser zur Touristinformation von Burg/Bórkowy im Spreewald und verweist auf die anhaltend hohe Bedeutung der sorbischen/wendischen Kultur im regionalen Tourismusmarketing, Burg 2024
Eine Trachtenträgerin schmückt den Wegweiser zur Touristinformation von Burg/Bórkowy im Spreewald und verweist auf die anhaltend hohe Bedeutung der sorbischen/wendischen Kultur im regionalen Tourismusmarketing, Burg 2024
: A woman clad in traditional costume adorns the signpost to the tourist information center in Burg/Bórkowy in Spreewald, indicating the enduring importance of Sorbian/Wendish culture in regional tourism marketing, Burg 2024. Friedrich Pollack, CC BY 4.0
: A woman clad in traditional costume adorns the signpost to the tourist information center in Burg/Bórkowy in Spreewald, indicating the enduring importance of Sorbian/Wendish culture in regional tourism marketing, Burg 2024. Friedrich Pollack, CC BY 4.0

Ethnic tourism

The Sorbs/Wends Sorbs/Wends The expressions “Sorbs” and “Wends” are historically synonymous. In Saxony the word “Wend” has long since fallen into disuse. Both names are used in Brandenburg. , the ethnic minority indigenous to the 
Lusatia
hsb. Łužicy, dsb. Łužycy, pol. Łużyce, lat. Lusatia, deu. Lausitz, ces. Lužice

Lusatia is a historical region in eastern Germany. Traditionally, it is divided into Lower Lusatia, which is part of the state of Brandenburg, and Upper Lusatia, which is part of the Free State of Saxony. Geographically, the region stretches between the Spreewald and the Lusatian Mountains, with the eastern parts of Lusatia having belonged to Poland since 1945.
The region is the historic homeland of the Sorbs (also known as the Wends), a recognised ethnic minority in Germany with their own language and culture. There are two Sorbian written languages which belong to the West Slavic language group: Upper Sorbian and Lower Sorbian.

Lusatia at Google Maps
 region of Germany, play a special role in this nature idyll produced for tourism purposes. The fact that the Sorbian language is often mistaken for Polish by tourists3 is a small but revealing misunderstanding, which marks out the region as a borderland between Central and Eastern Central Europe and presents the Spreewald as a piece of something foreign within Germany.  The regional tourist industry capitalizes on such mistakes and deliberately presents the language, costumes and traditions of the Wends as hallmarks of authenticity.4
In tourism studies this phenomenon is known as ethnic tourism,5 although as yet there is no consistent definition of this expression. It is understood to broadly include experiences that promise ‘authentic’ encounters with groups that are considered to be indigenous, ethnic, autochthonous or in some other way foreign or ‘exotic’.  The experience of cultural difference is a central factor in the appeal of this type of travel, and is provided by means of clothing, rituals, language, storytelling, cuisine and other aspects of everyday culture.
Research into ethnic tourism is still comparatively young and primarily draws on contemporary practices; historical perspectives have to date been, if anything, peripheral. However, ethnic tourism is by no means a purely modern phenomenon and is not limited to destinations in the global south, as a glance at the relevant literature might suggest.

“The Spreewald and its summer resorts”

Tourism in the Spreewald and the associated presentation of the Wends as a tourist attraction already began in the mid-19th century. However, no systematic studies of this topic have been made to date.6
Theodor Fontane’s famous Wanderungen are an early and highly effective testament to the exploration of the Spreewald and the Wends by tourists: written in 1859, they include many of the images sighted above.7 Alongside this kind of travel literature, the first actual tourist guides for the Spreewald appeared from the 1860s onwards.8 Hiking maps, promotional literature, brochures, picture postcards and souvenirs were soon to follow.
Titelbild der Broschüre „Der Spreewald und seine Sommerfrischen. Schönstes Trachtengebiet Deutschlands“. Cottbus [1929]. Reproduktion
Titelbild der Broschüre „Der Spreewald und seine Sommerfrischen. Schönstes Trachtengebiet Deutschlands“. Cottbus [1929]. Reproduktion
Cover image from the brochure “Der Spreewald und seine Sommerfrischen. Schönstes Trachtengebiet Deutschlands”. Cottbus [1929]. Reproduction. Sorbische Zentralbibliothek Bautzen, Free access - no reuse
Cover image from the brochure “Der Spreewald und seine Sommerfrischen. Schönstes Trachtengebiet Deutschlands”. Cottbus [1929]. Reproduction. Sorbische Zentralbibliothek Bautzen, Free access - no reuse
One example of such literature is particularly illustrative. Towards the end of the 1920s the Verkehrsamt für den Ober- und Unterspreewald in 
Lübben
dsb. Lubin

Lübben in the Spreewald (population in 2025: 13,992) is the county seat of the Dahme-Spreewald district. The town is located in Lower Lusatia in the southeastern part of the federal state of Brandenburg. Lübben was granted city rights as early as the 13th century and was the capital of the Margraviate of Lower Lusatia in the 15th century. Throughout its history, Lübben’s allegiance shifted between the Bohemian Crown, Saxony, the Habsburgs, and Prussia. Beginning in 1945, the town belonged to the Soviet Occupation Zone, from which the German Democratic Republic emerged in 1949. Since 1990, the German Democratic Republic is part of the Federal Republic of Germany.

 published the brochure Der Spreewald und seine Sommerfrischen. Schönstes Trachtengebiet Deutschlands (“The Spreewald and its summer resorts. The region with the most beautiful traditional costumes in Germany”).9 It appeared at a time when tourism in the Spreewald was approaching its first peak, with up to 195,000 holidaymakers and a revenue of 1.1m Reichsmark per year, before the world economic crisis abruptly interrupted this growth.10

“A single giant sanatorium for stressed-out city-dwellers”

The richly illustrated booklet included 96 pages and was clearly written to encourage day-trippers to visit the Spreewald and holidaymakers already there to extend their stay.  It includes editorial texts as well as numerous advertisements from hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, photographers, boat-tour operators and other tourist businesses. What is particularly striking here is the deliberate way that folkloric and ethnographic details are highlighted as attractions. This source therefore offers revealing insights into early ethnic tourism in the Spreewald.
Eine Reise in den Spreewald versprach Ruhe und Erholung inmitten der Natur, umgeben von dichten Urwäldern, malerischen Flußläufen – und pittoresken Frauentrachten. Abbildung aus: Der Spreewald und seine Sommerfrischen. Cottbus [1929], S. 3. Reproduktion
Eine Reise in den Spreewald versprach Ruhe und Erholung inmitten der Natur, umgeben von dichten Urwäldern, malerischen Flußläufen – und pittoresken Frauentrachten. Abbildung aus: Der Spreewald und seine Sommerfrischen. Cottbus [1929], S. 3. Reproduktion
A journey to the Spreewald promised peace and relaxation in the midst of nature, surrounded by dense ancient forests, scenic rivers - and picturesque women’s costumes. Illustration from: Der Spreewald und seine Sommerfrischen. Cottbus [1929], p. 3. Reproduction. Sorbische Zentralbibliothek Bautzen, Free access - no reuse
A journey to the Spreewald promised peace and relaxation in the midst of nature, surrounded by dense ancient forests, scenic rivers - and picturesque women’s costumes. Illustration from: Der Spreewald und seine Sommerfrischen. Cottbus [1929], p. 3. Reproduction. Sorbische Zentralbibliothek Bautzen, Free access - no reuse
The brochure’s target readership can be clearly deduced from the way the region is portrayed: “The whole Spreewald is like a single giant sanatorium for stressed-out city-dwellers” (p. 2), it says in its introduction. There are many offers tailored to day-trippers and weekend visitors from Berlin and 
Dresden
hsb. Drježdźany

Dresden (population in 2025: 562,764) is the second-largest city in the Free State of Saxony and its capital. It is located in the southern part of the state on the Elbe River. The city was first mentioned in 1206, but it was not until 1485, as a result of the Partition of Leipzig, that it gained the status of a royal seat of the Albertine branch of the House of Wettin. Under Frederick Augustus I (Augustus the Strong), Dresden experienced a period of vigorous construction, which gave the Old Town its architectural character that is still visible today. In the 18th century, Dresden established itself as an important industrial center. During World War II, the city housed satellite camps of the Auschwitz and Flossenbürg concentration camps, whose inmates were forced to work for the city’s arms industry. Starting in 1944, Dresden was bombed by the Allies. The largest wave of attacks, from February 13 to 15, 1945, claimed up to 25,000 lives. Most of the city was severely destroyed in the air raids. The Old Town, which underwent intensive reconstruction beginning in 1990, attracts many tourists today. In addition to industry, Dresden is also an important center for culture and education.

Dresden at Google Maps
. The region was already connected to the inter-regional rail network as early as 1866. In spring and summer, the Reichsbahn also offered regular special rail services from 
Saxony
deu. Sachsen

The Kingdom of Saxony emerged from the Electorate of Saxony in 1806, when the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved. The kingdom was a member of the Confederation of the Rhine from 1806 to 1815 and subsequently joined the German Confederation in 1815. From 1867 onward, it was a member state of the North German Confederation, and from 1871 to 1918, of the German Empire. Its capital was Dresden. The Kingdom of Saxony covered an area of 34,994 km² and had a population of over 2 million.

 and 
Kingdom of Prussia
dan. Kongeriget Preussen, pol. Królestwo Prus, deu. Königreich Preußen

The Kingdom of Prussia existed from 1701 to 1918 and was reigned by the Hohenzollern dynasty. The country was an absolute monarchy from its founding until 1848 and a constitutional monarchy from 1848 until its dissolution. The capital of the Kingdom of Prussia was Berlin. The land was inhabited by about 40 million people. After the November Revolution of 1918 and the abdication of Wilhelm II, the Kingdom dissolved and formed the Free State of Prussia.

 to the Spreewald (p. 89). From 1898, there was even a “Spreewaldbahn” that served as a feeder, with “connections to early morning trains from Berlin” (p. 48). As early as the 1920s, there were targeted efforts to attract individuals with motorcars. Apparently, at the time, “the whole of the Spreewald” was accessible by bicycle (p. 90) – this is surely an exaggeration, but it highlights the significance of the emergence of cycle tourism.
Eskapismus und Exotik sowie unterschwellige erotische Anspielungen prägen die Touristifizierung der wendischen Kultur im Spreewald in den 1920er Jahren besonders deutlich. Abbildung aus: Der Spreewald und seine Sommerfrischen. Cottbus [1929], S. 41. Repro
Eskapismus und Exotik sowie unterschwellige erotische Anspielungen prägen die Touristifizierung der wendischen Kultur im Spreewald in den 1920er Jahren besonders deutlich. Abbildung aus: Der Spreewald und seine Sommerfrischen. Cottbus [1929], S. 41. Repro
Escapism and exoticism as well as subtle erotic innuendo are particularly apparent in the touristification of Sorbian culture in the Spreewald in the 1920s. Illustration from: Der Spreewald und seine Sommerfrischen. Cottbus [1929], p. 41. Reproduction. Sorbische Zentralbibliothek Bautzen, Free access - no reuse
Escapism and exoticism as well as subtle erotic innuendo are particularly apparent in the touristification of Sorbian culture in the Spreewald in the 1920s. Illustration from: Der Spreewald und seine Sommerfrischen. Cottbus [1929], p. 41. Reproduction. Sorbische Zentralbibliothek Bautzen, Free access - no reuse

“The visitor will think he has been transported to the tropical rainforest”

When he arrived, the visitor would be greeted by pure, unspoilt nature. The brochure draws on idyllic south-sea clichés in several places: “The visitor will think he has been transported to the tropical rainforest.” (p. 11) Dense alder forests and thousand-year-old oaks, a rich bird and insect-world promise “holiday fun in the Spreewald jungle” (p. 70).
Continuing the image of the virgin forest, the indigenous population of the Spreewald is introduced as an exotic attraction. Text and images repeatedly suggest a particularly close connection between man and nature:

We are in the land of the Wends! Let us bid farewell to the forest, as a new landscape opens up before us. A single, massive park landscape stretches all the way to Burg, covered with the countless silver tributaries of the River Spree. Meadows alternate with fertile fields. Everywhere we encounter isolated Wendish “Kaupen”11. Poplars, alders, oaks, willows and fruit trees are our escorts. Waterbirds of every kind, whole flocks of storks, come into view. From simple wooden houses, beautiful girls with Slavic features wearing their picturesque costumes wave to show us we are welcome.12

Such racialized descriptions are quite frequent in the brochure. By way of context, this was a time when academic interest in the “racial science” of the Spreewald and Lusatia was on the increase. Elsewhere, the descriptions evoke isolated tribes:

Here the Wends have built their settlements, in the shadow of the alders, far away from neighbors, surrounded by the waters of the Spree. Modernity, which is consuming their traditional culture from every side and without pause, has not reached them yet. Here the Wendish language, costumes and customs, construction and farming methods have managed to survive the centuries undisturbed, up to the present day.13

The image of a nature-folk shut off from the rest of the world naturally does not mention the centuries-old history of connection and exchange between the Sorbs and the Germans in Lusatia. The tourist is presented with the wholesome, secluded world that time forgot, in which a primitive life, based on the fulfilment of the simplest needs, is still possible: “If you are prepared to be frugal, you can live very cheaply in the Spreewald. A culture of hospitality is widespread. A straw mattress can be had for 25 pfennigs, and butter, milk, cheese and bacon are provided at cost price.” (p. 45)
Women played a particularly important role in the image of the Sorbs/Wends portrayed by the tourist industry. The number of women in traditional costumes featured in a great many of the more than one hundred photographs that are included in the brochure. The female body seems to be the visual signature of the Spreewald; Sorbian men, meanwhile, are almost absent from tourism materials.
Die Trachtenträgerin als visuelle Signatur des Spreewaldtourismus. Werbeplakat entworfen von Ludwig Hohlwein im Auftrag der Stadt Cottbus/Chóśebuz. Reproduktion
Die Trachtenträgerin als visuelle Signatur des Spreewaldtourismus. Werbeplakat entworfen von Ludwig Hohlwein im Auftrag der Stadt Cottbus/Chóśebuz. Reproduktion
Women wearing traditional costume as the visual signature of Spreewald tourism. Advertising poster designed by Ludwig Hohlwein for the city of Cottbus/Chóśebuz. Reproduction. Museo nazionale Collezione Salce, Treviso, Sign. 15243; https://catalogo.beniculturali.it/detail/HistoricOrArtisticProperty/0500670219, CC BY 4.0
Women wearing traditional costume as the visual signature of Spreewald tourism. Advertising poster designed by Ludwig Hohlwein for the city of Cottbus/Chóśebuz. Reproduction. Museo nazionale Collezione Salce, Treviso, Sign. 15243; https://catalogo.beniculturali.it/detail/HistoricOrArtisticProperty/0500670219, CC BY 4.0
The costumed women are always anonymous and rarely provide more than staffage or decorative elements. Young girls are described as “Wendish beauties” (p. 42) with “soft, pensive, Slavic features” (p. 86). Occasionally the descriptions take on suggestive overtones, for example when the “lovely girls” invite the visitor to dance with them:

In fact, the people of Spreewald love to dance. When lively waltzes are played, who can resist joining in? At least come and watch! And if you’ve never seen the Spreewalders dancing, you will never believe how a little tribe that is so isolated from the world can be so cheerful. Swing, swing, swing! Their unfettered joy is infectious, but we still have 2 hours’ travel before we reach Burg and besides, there are so many girls in the Spreewald.14

The appeal of ethnic tourism in the Spreewald is enhanced by the threat of its imminent disappearance, since the world of the Sorbs is presented as one whose days are numbered. The Wends of the Spreewald are just the “remains of an old Slavic ethnic group of around 61,000 souls” (p. 86).

“Visitors to the Spreewald like to have their photograph taken in the flattering Spreewald costume”

Contemporary tourist materials largely avoid mentioning the accelerating decline of the Sorbian language. It is ironic that it was in 
Burg
dsb. Bórkowy

Burg im Spreewald (population in 2025: 4,469) is a village in the eastern part of the German state of Brandenburg. The village is located in the northern Oberspreewald region, southeast of Cottbus. It is situated within the Sorbian settlement area.

, of all places, the holiday resort referred to in the brochure as the “center of land of the Sorbs” (p. 46), that the Sorbian language church service was discontinued in 1930 – almost at the same time that the brochure appeared. However, the traditional Spreewald costume or “Tracht”, which is still treated as a symbol of Sorbian culture here, remained readily available to the tourist industry. The Tracht is central to the commodification of Sorbian culture in the early 20th century: “ethnicity” in the development of the Spreewald for tourism purposes was considered above all a visual attraction. The title of the brochure itself refers to the Spreewald as the “The region with the most beautiful traditional costumes in Germany.” Later, reference is even made to the “most beautiful traditional women’s costumes in the world” (p. 46).
Tourist encounters with Sorbian culture were not left to chance, but professionally organized. “If you want to see the colorful, picturesque costumes of the Wendish women, you should never start your daytrip to the Spreewald in Lübbenau” (p. 46), the brochure advises its readers, and goes on to advise them on where and when to best observe the costume-clad women. The “famous church procession of the Wendish women in Burg” (p. 46) is billed as a particular highlight. A special service run by the Spreewaldbahn – the “church procession train” – brought Sunday visitors to Burg and 
Straupitz
dsb. Tšupc, deu. Straupitz

Straupitz in the Spreewald (population in 2025: 906) is a village in the eastern part of the German state of Brandenburg. It is located in the northern part of the Spreewald, northwest of Cottbus. The village is situated within the Sorbian settlement area.

 just in time for the church service.
Der Burger Kirchgangszug, ein Sonderzug der Spreewaldbahn, brachte die Tourist:innen sonntags pünktlich nach Straupitz/Tšupc und Burg/Bórkowy, wo sich der „trachtenreiche Kirchgang der Wendinnen“ beobachten ließ. Abbildung aus: Der Spreewald und seine Som
Der Burger Kirchgangszug, ein Sonderzug der Spreewaldbahn, brachte die Tourist:innen sonntags pünktlich nach Straupitz/Tšupc und Burg/Bórkowy, wo sich der „trachtenreiche Kirchgang der Wendinnen“ beobachten ließ. Abbildung aus: Der Spreewald und seine Som
The “Burger Kirchgangszug” (Burg Church Procession Train), a special service of the Spreewaldbahn, brought tourists to Straupitz/Tšupc and Burg/Bórkowy punctually on Sunday mornings so that they could observe the “costume-rich church attendance by Sorbian women”. Illustration from: Der Spreewald und seine Sommerfrischen. Cottbus [1929], p. 37. Reproduction. Sorbische Zentralbibliothek Bautzen, Free access - no reuse
The “Burger Kirchgangszug” (Burg Church Procession Train), a special service of the Spreewaldbahn, brought tourists to Straupitz/Tšupc and Burg/Bórkowy punctually on Sunday mornings so that they could observe the “costume-rich church attendance by Sorbian women”. Illustration from: Der Spreewald und seine Sommerfrischen. Cottbus [1929], p. 37. Reproduction. Sorbische Zentralbibliothek Bautzen, Free access - no reuse
Local hotel owners and restaurateurs seized on the demand for folklore and exoticism. Restaurants catering to tourists such as Bukoitza near Lübben and Wotschofska near Lübbenau deliberately chose Slavic names. In Burg, restaurants and guesthouses attracted visitors with “genuine Sorbian dancing” (p. 55), “traditional costume shows” (p. 56), “waiting staff in traditional costume” (p. 55) and a “Sorbian spinning room with Sorbian songs” (p. 93).
Tourists also had opportunities to take a more active part in regional and explicitly Wendish culture. As well as dance events and regional culinary specialties such as “fish with Spreewald sauce” (p. 51 and elsewhere), there were local souvenirs such as dolls in traditional costume. Encouraging female tourists to dress up in traditional costume was a particular form of cultural appropriation but was advertised explicitly and was clearly very popular: “the following photographers offer free rental of Spreewald costumes. In Burg, Hafen: Photograph Steffen. In Lübbenau: Photograph Michaelis.” (p. 26, italics in original).
„Spreewaldbesucher lassen sich gern in der kleidsamen Spreewaldtracht photographieren.“ Annonce aus: Der Spreewald und seine Sommerfrischen. Cottbus [1929], S. 26. Reproduktion
„Spreewaldbesucher lassen sich gern in der kleidsamen Spreewaldtracht photographieren.“ Annonce aus: Der Spreewald und seine Sommerfrischen. Cottbus [1929], S. 26. Reproduktion
“Visitors to the Spreewald like to have their photograph taken in the flattering Spreewald costume.” Advert from: Der Spreewald und seine Sommerfrischen. Cottbus [1929], p. 26. Reproduction. Sorbische Zentralbibliothek Bautzen, Free access - no reuse
“Visitors to the Spreewald like to have their photograph taken in the flattering Spreewald costume.” Advert from: Der Spreewald und seine Sommerfrischen. Cottbus [1929], p. 26. Reproduction. Sorbische Zentralbibliothek Bautzen, Free access - no reuse
In a whole-page advertisement at the back of the brochure, the Cottbuser Textilkaufhaus Wilhelm Richter proudly presents itself as the “first and largest establishment for Wendish costume” (p. 96). It was targeting three groups of consumers:  Wendish women, who wore the Tracht as everyday clothing and for festivals, those working in the tourist industry, for whom it was part of their work uniform, and not least, tourists who were looking for a textile souvenir. The ad thus reflects the basic pattern of early Spreewald tourism, in that it turned Sorbian culture into a consumer product that was available to the tourist at any time. The Spreewald was not only a local recreation area, but also a place where cultural differences and the experience of “foreignness” were deliberately produced. It is for this very reason that the region provides such a rich case study for research into the history of tourism in Eastern Central Europe. Here it can be shown how tourism practices did not simply point out cultural differences, but actually created them, again and again, in images, expectations and in different forms of consumption.
English translation: Gwen Clayton
Friedrich Pollack
Friedrich Pollack
Go to author biography

Footnotes
1.
Figures taken from Tourismusverband Spreewald: Jahresrückblick 2022 in der Tourismusdestination Spreewald, in: https://www.spreewald.de/service-info/presse/detail/jahresrueckblick-2022-in-der-tourismusdestination-spreewald (last accessed: 4.3.2026) as well as the Amt für Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg: Tourismus in Brandenburg. Entwicklung der Reisebranche 2020 bis 2025, in: https://www.statistik-berlin-brandenburg.de/tourismus-brandenburg (last accessed: 4.3.2026).
2.
Tourismusverband Spreewald: Kahnfahrten im Spreewald: Ein Erlebnis, in: https://www.spreewald.de/aktivitaeten-karte/kahnfahrten (last accessed: 4.3.2026).
3.
Cf. Zweisprachiger Spreewald, in: https://www.spreewald-info.de/region/spreewald-sprache-sorbisch-wendisch (last accessed: 4.3.2026).
4.
The Spreewald Tourist Board produced a small handbook only recently to provide tourism professionals with basic knowledge about the Sorbs/Wends. Tourismusverband Spreewald: Pód lapu. Unter der Haube. Einblicke in Kultur, Tradition und Sprache der Sorben/Wenden. Raddusch 2024. Available online: https://www.spreewald.de/fileadmin/Redakteure/downloads/Flyer_und_Infos/Booklet_UnterDerHaube_A6_Spreewald_WEB.pdf (latest access: 4.3.2026).
5.
Cf. van den Berghe, Pierre L.: The Quest for the Other. Ethnic Tourism in San Cristóbal, Mexico, Seattle/London 1994; Lama, Rinzing/Sarkhel, Debagni: Ethnic Tourism. In: Buhalis, Dimitrios/Elgar, Edward (eds.): Encyclopedia of Tourism Management and Marketing. Cheltenham 2022, p. 122–124; Yang, Li/Wall, Geoffrey: Ethnic Tourism. Impacts, Challenges and Opportunities. London/New York 2024.
6.
The author is currently carrying out research into the history of the touristification of multi-ethnic regions in the 19th and 20th centuries.
7.
Fontane’s travel reports from the Spreewald appeared in 1859 in the Preußische Zeitung. Later some of them were included in Wanderungen durch die Mark Brandenburg (1862–1889). See Solères, Isabelle: La minorité sorbe du Brandebourg vue par l’écrivain prussien Theodor Fontane (1819-1898), in: Mémoire(s), identité(s), marginalité(s) dans le monde occidental contemporain (10.9.2006). DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/mimmoc.224 (last accessed: 4.3.2026).
8.
Beginning with Berger, Robert Immanuel: Der Spreewald und seine Umgegend. Land, Wasser und Leute. Cottbus 1866.
9.
Möhring, Erich (ed.): Der Spreewald und seine Sommerfrischen. Schönstes Trachtengebiet Deutschlands. Cottbus (without date). The publication probably appeared in print in 1929, based on references in several of the articles in the brochure (pp. 28, 89).
10.
Strubel, Egon: Der Fremdenverkehr des Oberspreewaldes. Seine Förderung, Entwicklung und wirtschaftliche Bedeutung, Lübbenau 1935.
11.
“Kaupe”, from the Sorbian “kupa” (island), is a regional description for areas of higher ground between the branches of the River Spree that are inhabited or cultivated.
12.
Möhring, Erich (ed.): Der Spreewald und seine Sommerfrischen. Schönstes Trachtengebiet Deutschlands. Cottbus [1929], p. 63.
13.
Möhring, Erich (ed.): Der Spreewald und seine Sommerfrischen. Schönstes Trachtengebiet Deutschlands. Cottbus [1929], p. 38.
14.
Möhring, Erich (ed.): Der Spreewald und seine Sommerfrischen. Schönstes Trachtengebiet Deutschlands. Cottbus [1929], p. 63f.

Literature
  • Baranowski, Shelley/Furlough, Ellen (eds.): Being Elsewhere. Tourism, Consumer Culture, and Identity in Modern Europe and North America. Ann Arbor 2001.
  • Butler, Richard/Hinch, Tom (eds.): Tourism and Indigenous Peoples. Issues and Implications. 2. Oxford 2007.
  • Jaworski, Rudolf/Loew, Peter Oliver/Pletzing, Christian (eds.): Der genormte Blick aufs Fremde. Reiseführer in und über Ostmitteleuropa. Wiesbaden 2011.
  • Mirtschin, Maria: Fiktive Welten auf Postkarten. Sorben in der Massenkultur. Bautzen 2009.
  • Pollack, Friedrich: Die Sorben. Grundlinien ihrer neueren Geschichte. In: Klatt, Martin/Kühl, Jørgen (eds.): Nationale Minderheiten in Deutschland. Gleichberechtigung und Inklusion? Berlin 2026. p. in print.
  • Schnepel, Burkhard/Girke, Felix/Knoll, Eva-Maria (eds.): Kultur all inclusive. Identität, Tradition und Kulturerbe im Zeitalter des Massentourismus. Bielefeld 2013.

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