The Spree is a river in eastern Germany (Saxony, Brandenburg, Berlin), which also flows briefly through the Czech Republic in two places (in the Šluknov foothills). The Spree is 375.3 km long and its catchment area is 9,858 km². It flows through Berlin and is the largest tributary of the Havel River. It rises near the Czech-German border at the border of the Šluknov Spur (Děčín district) and the Saxon district of Zhořelec from three sources: in Neugersdorf. On the western slope of Mount Kottmar (Löbau) and in Ebersbach-Spreedorf.
Between Neugersdorf and Ebersbach, the upper course of the Spree forms the Czech-German border. And in the area of the defunct village of Fukov, it flows for about 500 metres through purely Czech territory. The river continues to flow through the Central European Lowlands, through the historical territory of Upper and Lower Lusatia. It then flows through the centres of all these regions (Budyšín, Chotěbuz, Berlin) and a number of other towns.
Below Chotebuzi (i.e. to the north) in the Spreewald area, its flow diverges into several branches and gradually describes two large curves. Which completely change direction several times, before turning north-west to west between Beeskow and Fürstenwalde. Here an important navigation channel leads from the Spree to the Eisenhüttenstadt on the Oder. The Spree then flows through the suburbs of Köpenick and the centre of Berlin and joins the Havel from the left at Spandau. At its confluence, the river is much longer than the Havel itself. The Budyšín reservoir has been built on the river since 1977. It also flows naturally through the Schwielochsee and Müggel lakes.
