Lübben is the stylish older sister of the Spreewald towns, a place of about fifteen thousand people on the river, with a small castle, a lively harbour and enough old streets to make a lunch stop feel like an event. The Spree comes in from the south in several arms, and the town grew up on the island between them, with water on every side.
Its most famous resident was a hymn writer. Paul Gerhardt, one of the great poets of German Protestantism, spent the last years of his life as pastor in Lübben and died here in 1676, and his hymns, such as the one beginning with the words about a head full of blood and wounds, are still sung in churches across Germany and beyond. A statue stands outside the church, and a small museum tells his story. Even if you do not know the hymns, the town has a pleasant air of old Lutheran seriousness.
For a food stop, Lübben is hard to beat in this region. The old town and the harbour have cafes and restaurants, many with terraces over the water. Spreewald specialities are everywhere: pickled gherkins, smoked fish, linseed oil with potatoes and quark, and pancakes with plum jam. A coffee and a slice of cake at the harbour, with punts gliding past, is an easy way to spend an hour. Fuel is available at stations on the edge of town.
Riding to and from Lübben is a flat, quiet matter, with roads through meadows and woods and the occasional wooden bridge. Weekends in summer bring cyclists and walkers in large numbers, so go slowly in the narrow lanes. Parking is easier on the edge of the old town than near the harbour.
A boat trip on the channels is the classic activity, and short tours leave from the harbour through the day. If you do not have time, a walk across the little bridges at the Schlossinsel will give you the flavour. The castle, a modest building with a tower, now houses a museum and a cultural centre, and the park around it is shady and calm.