Rathenow: Old Town Island, Havel and Optical History
Accommodation in Rathenow
Rathenow combines a historic Old Town Island, optical history, and cycling and hiking trails. This gives you a range of options when planning your trip: town history, cycling routes and nature trails in the municipal forest. If you are looking for a holiday apartment, these themes can help you decide what you would like to shape your days here.
Old Town Island and Optical History
Rathenow’s historic centre is on an Old Town Island surrounded by four arms of the Havel. It includes sections of the old town wall, Kirchberg hill and St. Mary’s and St. Andrew’s Church. Together, these places make the town’s history visible at specific sites. The Optik Industrie Museum Rathenow has around 1,200 exhibits on the history of optics. Another place opposite the church’s west portal also tells this story: from 1800, pastor Johann Heinrich August Duncker ran his first optical workshop in his birthplace.
Another landmark is the Bismarck Tower on Rathenow’s Weinberg hill. Alongside the church tower, it is considered the town’s second landmark. The tower was inaugurated on 24 June 1914 in honour of former Reich Chancellor Prince Otto von Bismarck. The museum, birthplace and tower each offer a different perspective, leading from the history of optics to Rathenow’s architectural and commemorative history without requiring any one theme to define your entire stay.
Bridges, Cycling Routes and Municipal Forest
The connections between places in Rathenow can also be traced through its bridges. The 348-metre-long Weinberg Bridge connects Optikpark with Weinberg hill. Optikpark is located in the centre of Rathenow, on an arm of the Havel. A footbridge and cycle bridge connects Kirchberg hill with Weinberg hill. Built in 2001–2002, it restores a connection that had been lost for 700 years. Alongside the historic sites, bridges with a history of their own can therefore be part of your itinerary.
Rathenow is on the Havel Cycle Route, the river cycling route; the Havelland Cycle Route, which forms part of the Hamburg–Berlin cycle route; and the Tour Brandenburg. The stated total length of the Tour Brandenburg is 1,111 kilometres. It offers a broad regional framework for planning cycling tours. If you prefer to get around on foot, Rathenow’s municipal forest has a signposted network of hiking trails. A nature trail starts and ends at the Ferchesarer Weg forest car park.
If you are planning a trip around different interests, you can weigh Rathenow’s town history, cycling routes and forest trails as separate priorities. These priorities can also guide your search for a holiday apartment in Rathenow.
The Havelland as a Regional Perspective
The wider Havelland destination offers additional nature and cycling experiences that belong to the region and do not describe Rathenow alone. On the southern shore of Lake Gülper, a nature trail around 1.5 kilometres long, with illustrated information panels, invites visitors to watch birds. During spring and autumn migration, up to 100,000 geese and hundreds of cranes gather there, along with numerous waders, ducks and grey herons. The seasons shape what you can observe here.
The Havelland also offers a regional perspective on cycling: the Havelland Cycle Route runs through the Havelländisches Luch via Nauen, Ribbeck and Rathenow to the Westhavelland Nature and Star Park. It is mostly paved, flat and pleasant to ride. The Havelland’s numbered junction signs make it easy to plan your own cycling routes. When looking for a holiday apartment, you can therefore consider whether your trip will focus mainly on Rathenow’s local history and routes or also on regional attractions such as Lake Gülper and the Havelland Cycle Route.
Discover More Destinations
If you would like to discover more destinations: Grütz, Kotzen, Brieselang, Retzow, Milower Land, Wustermark, Ketzin, Falkensee.
For the wider travel overview: Havelland.
