regional customs
Mail arrives in the Spreewald by barge again
The unusual method of mail delivery by barge has a 127-year-old tradition. photo
© Frank Hammerschmidt/dpa
This tradition in the Spreewald is over 100 years old: In the village of Lehde, mail is delivered by barge during the warm season. Delivery driver Andrea Bunar sometimes has unusual cargo.
The 53-year-old drives her boat to 65 households in the summer season that have no direct connection to streets in the Lübbenau district. In winter, the postal delivery person covers the route on foot, crossing small bridges that connect the islands with the houses. The Lehde district of the Brandenburg town of Lübbenau attracts many tourists every year because of its picturesque ensemble. According to Deutsche Post, the Spreewald barge deliverer delivers more than 600 letters, registered mail and postcards as well as around 80 parcels per week. The 53-year-old moves across the many small rivers with a four-meter-long push rod – called a pack. The delivery is therefore climate-neutral and quiet: a motor is not permitted in the Unesco Spreewald Biosphere Reserve. The mail punt season ends in mid-October.
Packages up to 31.5 kilograms
Some transport becomes a challenge – for example when Bunar delivers a flat screen, porch swing or refrigerator with her mail barge. Last year, the cargo included, among other things, an apple tree and a soccer goal. Packages can weigh up to 31.5 kilograms.
She sometimes has to deal with unexpected obstacles along the way. Last year, strong winds made it difficult to steer the postal barge, as the Spreewald postwoman said. Once on the return trip a fallen tree hindered the journey. “Then a paddler in front of me suddenly jumped into the water in his underwear and pulled the obstacle aside,” Bunar remembered a strange incident.
The unusual method of mail delivery has a 127-year-old tradition in the village of Lehde.