Spreewelten Hotel - Swimming with Penguins: Inside Germany's Most Unusual Family Hotel

The concept sounds like something dreamed up by a particularly ambitious theme park designer: a hotel where you can swim alongside real penguins, separated only by a curved glass wall. Yet here in Lübbenau, deep in the wetlands of Brandenburg's Spreewald region, the Spreewelten Hotel has turned this improbable vision into reality.

About an hour's drive from Berlin, this four-star establishment offers what its marketing team boldly claims is a "Europe-wide unique experience" – the chance to paddle about in a heated outdoor pool while Humboldt penguins glide past on the other side of what's reportedly Europe's largest curved acrylic panel.

Location matters here. The Spreewald, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, is Brandenburg's answer to the Norfolk Broads – a network of waterways threading through forest and meadow that has supported a distinct Sorbian culture for centuries. The hotel serves as a base for exploring this landscape by punt, bicycle, or on foot, with the penguin encounter providing a contemporary twist on the region's traditional eco-tourism offering.

The architectural design deliberately echoes local building traditions, with the hotel arranged around a three-sided courtyard typical of Spreewald farmsteads. Natural materials and muted colors create what the designers describe as "rustic yet modern" aesthetics.

The hotel itself, which opened in March 2019, feels like a conscious attempt to blend rustic Spreewald charm with modern family-friendly amenities.

The 60 rooms and apartments are spacious, many featuring kitchenettes and separate sleeping areas for children – thoughtfully designed as "penguin caves" complete with 360-degree themed décor that transforms bedtime into an extension of the aquatic adventure.

What could easily have been a one-trick pony has evolved into something more substantial. The Spreewelten complex, which reopened in 2018 after extensive renovations, encompasses not just the penguin encounter but an entire aquatic playground.

There's a wave pool, customisable water slides (described as a "world first" in digital slide technology), and 14 themed saunas scattered throughout what the hotel calls its "sauna village."

A Different Kind of Wildlife Experience

Twice daily, at 11:30 am and 3:30 pm, the penguin feeding sessions draw crowds to the outdoor viewing areas. For an additional €10, visitors can participate directly in the feeding process – though spaces are limited and advance booking essential. It's a far cry from the sterile observation experiences of many zoos, with the glass barrier creating an oddly intimate shared space between species.

The Humboldt penguins, native to the coasts of Peru and Chile, seem to have adapted well to their Spreewald existence. Their enclosure extends over 46 metres of glass frontage, providing multiple viewing angles from both indoor and outdoor vantage points.

The setup is undeniably surreal. Paul, Skipper, Tilly and Luise – the resident penguins – seem remarkably unfazed by their human swimming companions, occasionally pressing their beaks against the 15.5-metre glass barrier as if equally curious about the strange, flippers-less creatures on the other side.