The river that flows through the city of Berlin is the Spree. It is Berlin’s principal river and runs through the city centre before joining the Havel at Spandau.
The Spree is approximately 400 kilometres long and rises in the Lusatian Highlands of Saxony, near the German-Czech border. It travels through Upper and Lower Lusatia, passes the wetlands of the Spreewald, and enters Berlin in the southeast. Within the capital, the river flows through Köpenick and past many of the city’s best-known landmarks.
Berlin’s Museum Island, Berlin Cathedral, the Reichstag and the Federal Chancellery all stand beside or near the Spree. The river is also part of a wider navigable waterway network used by tour boats, barges and smaller recreational craft.
A frequent mistake is choosing the Elbe. The Spree flows into the Havel, and the Havel eventually joins the Elbe, but the Elbe itself does not run through central Berlin. The Spree’s waterways have also played a notable role in Berlin’s history, including during the Cold War and the division of the city.