European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 13, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                I a a , ii m 11 m Joti Liila a j 1 natural Beauty and Man made eyesores one of the most striking things about the Countryside in Eastern Germany is the contrast bet Veen the idyllic and. The grotesque. There Are few places where this is illustrated As Well As in the spree Wald an area of canals forests farms and towns 50 Miles Southeast of Berlin. A coming into Lubenau the Quot Gateway to the spree Wald a the first thing you see from local Highway. 1 15 is the huge Complex of postwar apartment blocks on the Northern Edge of to wac next comes a scattering of shabby Brick Homes Lilly with Road dirt. A half mile farther Down the Road the huge pollution belching. Smokestacks of the regional Power Plant loom against the sky to the West. A a a a y a a but the scenery changes for the better if you. Turn off tothe East in the direction of the Church Steeple.  is the old town a Cluster of red Brick houses and historical buildings dating to the lath Century. Before the fall of the Berlin Wall  was one of East  Quot Germany s most important tourist destinations getting. More than .1 Philion visitors a year. But t his. Did not save. I Tib Benau from the socialist malaise a decay Anda a disrepair that plagues virtually every town in the former Gorman democratic Republic. Y a j he Kevvn s Centrepiece is the Market Square dominated by the baroque St. Nicholas Church and the a fruit and vegetable Market. Along the main Street shops and businesses exhibit signs of new life tie Bookstore has a targe display of English language  clothes boutique sparkles with Bright colors  Western prices several empty storefronts Are undergoing face lifts or. A renovations by   Liibbe Nau owes its split personality to its former communist rulers. In 1945. Clyo town was a Small farming fishing and resort Community with a population of 6,000. But in 1956 the government made the decision to sex Doit the massive deposits of Brown Coal South of the a a spree Wald. In t957, construction began on the giant 1,300 megawatt Power Plant a one of the biggest in the country a on the Western Edge of town. This in turn was the impetus for massive housing construction and a population explosion. Today the town has More than 24,000 residents. \ a a it a a unless  you do not waste your time Quot in Quot new  go to the old town. At the South end of main Street is the Neo classical Castle former Home of a the counts of Schulenburg later the counts of Lyvar. Under the communists it was controlled by one of the. Government ministries. Today it is a hotel. Also at Thea Castle is the spree Wald museum. A y a a gtd a. But the real reason for visiting Liibbe Nau is not the town itself but the up Seewald. Not far from the Castle on. Maxim Gorky Street is Kje main Doc k Tor John boat. Y. Excursions into the spree Wald. The Region whose name y Means Forest of the spree encompasses much of the upper spree River drainage stretching roughly from Lubben in the North to Cottbus in the South.  it is a Small roughly 45 Miles Long and 9 Miles wide. A a a a a located in an ancient glacial riverbed the spree Wald is. A Flat wet area whose character owes As much to Watt i us to land. In the millenniums since the last ice age decaying organic matter has added layers of peat and soil to the original alluvial Sand  prehistoric time lie area was mostly swamp and impenetrable forests but Oyer the centuries it has been radically altered by human habitation i much of the Early development was done by the sorbs  slavic people who settled the Region around the ninth or 10 Century. Though their culture was suppressed under the nazis sorbian Folk festivals and costumes Are still part of life in they spree Wald today Many. Of the town names Are Given in both German and sorbian Lubenau is Lubnow. A. A a a a Quot a a. A canals dikes and drainage ditches have created a a landscape Ascari Olly crafted As the Netherlands that has. Earned the nickname Quot Farmers  it is a Region Rich in Scenic Beauty a Patchwork of Woods swamps and marshy Meadows dotted hem and there by farms and a villages. A a. Quot y in the fall onion shaped Haycocks Dot stubble Fields surrounded by stands of Oaks poplars ashes beeches and Willows. Leaves is f t Down through the b ran Ches to car pet the pathways or be swirled away in Strear Curr ergs. Most a a  cottages and Holiday Homes Are shut up and a deserted the John boats sitting Idle on the Banks of the canals. A a the spree Wald is Home to a wide variety of wildlife from Birds to reptiles. Among the varieties Likely to  by visitors Are storks cranes woodcocks frogs a wild boar frogs snakes non venomous and Deer.  of the Region have been set aside As refuges. About a mile South of Lubenau is Lehde Ledya ullage of log Anco Plank Bouses Many with thatched roofs. Some of them Are More than 200 years old. Lehde is the location of an open air Folk museum that re creates the a  and lifestyle of the Region from earlier times the. A museum is open from May to october. A. Though there Are hiking and Bike trails in the Region the Best Access is via the extensive network of streams and c anal. Until 1929 11u-re was no Road from Lehde to Lubenau. The John boat is still die transportation of Quot Choice Andt is a common sight to see Farmers Voi Kmen and housewives Poling their Way along the Waterways in a the Nar Row Ilu Bottom Craft Power boats Are taboo. Abri in the Village of Lehde near Lubenau the John f oaf is the transportation of Choice. Left a Toni me resident of the spree Al d. A a 1 i a the spree Wald is about 50 Miles South of a a Berlin take the Berlin Dresden autobahn and a get off. At the Lubben or Liibbe Nau exit. Take local Highway 115 to Liibbe Nau. A there Are two. Restaurants in Liibbe Nau. The. A first Zum Crunden strand Der spree is located.  excursion boat Dock. It is still operated under the old system and has limited hours and menu. The other the spree Waldeck is at Maxim Gorky Strasse 31, it is privately owned and has Good Hearty food Ait reasonable prices  dinner with Herb butter Home Fries Cole Slaw and sliced1 Tomato was 10.50. A Marks $7.20 t. Accommodations Are. Not easy. Theoretically there Are three hotel the Schloss hotel the a Deutscher Haus and the hotel Muller Jager. A Hen we were there one of them was closed Anc the other two did riot want to rent to us. Sec Story on pages 9 and 10try the Nopper family at Bergstrasser 1 1, 7543 y Liibbe Nau Tel 2661. Cost is 50 Marks a night Iti Claing a huge breakfast the staff at the spree Waldeck Wilt also help you find a room. There is no official tourist office in Lubenau hut guidebooks Are available at the Bookstore. On  Street. A a a above it the fhe station in Lehde has a Stork s a nest As a Lookout. Left the new Section of Lubenau Huilt by the old communist regime is very different from the old town left above -. A r 12 stripes Magazine dec Ember 13, 1990 december 13, 1990 stripes Magazine 13