THE SPREEWALD 
A BIT OF THE OLD WORLD 
By WILLIAM MAYNER 
T HE rivers Havel and Spree lend to the general 
landscape of the Mark of Brandenburg a 
peculiarly fascinating character, but it is the 
“Spreewald ” in particular, over which an indescri¬ 
bable charm seems to rest. One cannot hut be 
impressed and feel a wonderful interest in the cus¬ 
toms, dress, mode of living and language of the 
inhabitants of the Spreewald, the remnants of a 
once powerful race, known as the Wends. The 
Wends are a Slavic tribe which once occupied the 
Northern and Eastern parts of Germany. 
The Colony of Burg, in the Spreewald, was founded 
in the year 1765 by Frederick the Great; the 
hundred settlers who came at that time from Austria, 
Bohemia, Hungary, Saxony and Silesia, receiving 
each about eighteen acres of fiscal land. It is note¬ 
worthy too that the settlers of German weavers in the 
village of Burg, soon adopted the Wendish,or, more 
correctly speaking, the Sorbish language, customs, 
opinions and even physically acquired a pronounced 
Wendish type. Especially in Burg, has the dress 
and custom remained Wendish. The women go to 
communion service dressed in black (as if in mourn¬ 
ing) with white cloaks. The dress of the bride, as 
will be seen in our illustration, is particularly pictur¬ 
esque. 
Even at the beginning of the eighteenth century 
almost the whole area of the Spreewald was an 
impenetrable forest. Now, however,the forest does 
not occupy more than a fifth part of the Spreewald. 
It is computed that nearly 50,000 tourists visit the 
Spreewald annually. 
There is something weird and uncanny in the 
superstitious character of the inhabitants of the 
Spreewald. The most fantastic legends are re¬ 
lated and believed by these simple peasants. At 
night the old Wendic King is said to ride headless 
over the hill. Black men are alleged to be seen by 
the peasants at dawn; at dusk women clad in white 
are said to “walk” the forest. As soon as deep holes 
are bored in the hill, great serpents raise their heads. 
These legends are solemnly believed by the Wends. 
In the warm weather almost all the traffic 
is carried on in boats. The boat carries the 
THE HOUSE OF A WENDISH PEASANT 
6 5 
