Rastow: Photography Technology and Cycling Tours

Photography Technology in Rastow

The DUNKELKAMMER RASTOW Museum is a technology museum in the local community centre. It displays historic still and movie cameras, contact printing devices and darkroom equipment, as well as slide and film projectors. Radios and televisions, tape recorders and record players are also part of the collection. The subject matter ranges from photography and the technical equipment used in the process to image and sound playback.

One special feature is the walk-in camera obscura. In sufficient sunlight, it projects moving, colourful images. Light conditions are an integral part of how it works. Visitors interested in photography technology will therefore find more than historic cameras in Rastow: it also offers a clear example of how an optical principle creates images.

Cycling Routes Through Rastow

Rastow lies on regional cycle route R 11, which is 75 kilometres long and runs from Boizenburg via Hagenow and Rastow to Mirow. Tour 15, “Through the Kraaker Tannen to the Redefin State Stud”, also passes through Rastow; it is 73 kilometres long and goes through the Kraaker Tannen. The two routes are similar in length but feature different landmarks: R 11 follows the route from Boizenburg to Mirow via Hagenow, while Tour 15 highlights the Kraaker Tannen and the Redefin State Stud in its name.

When choosing between the two options, you can therefore use their respective itineraries as a guide: R 11 is the route that explicitly names Boizenburg, Hagenow, Rastow and Mirow. Tour 15 includes the Kraaker Tannen in its title and also passes through Rastow. The route descriptions thus showcase two different regional cycling options without conflating their places and paths.

Culture and Nature in the Municipality

Places in the wider municipality also add to the picture. In Fahrbinde, the historic town centre is a visitor attraction. The Stillfriedstube there commemorates the Low German poet Felix Stillfried (1851–1910), who was known by the name Adolf Brandt. A Commander of the Order of St John was based in Kraak from 1315; the St John’s Church in Kraak houses a carved altar of the Virgin Mary dating from around 1500. These two cultural themes have different emphases: Fahrbinde is associated with the poet and the historic town centre, while Kraak is linked to the history of the Order of St John and the altar.

Kraak also has a motorway lake where swimming is possible and a wildlife enclosure. The Kraaker Mill and a fish ladder are located in the Kraaker Tannen. If you are planning to swim, it is advisable to check current bathing conditions. The municipality is also described as having a varied landscape: it borders the forested Griese Gegend to the south and the expansive meadows and fishponds of the Lewitz to the east. This information applies to the municipality of Rastow as a whole, not just the town centre.

Getting There and Choosing the Right Location

Rastow railway station provides a connection to the Berlin–Schwerin train service. The municipality’s transport links also include the L72, formerly known as the B106, and the A24/A14 motorway interchange in the immediate vicinity. If you plan to travel by train, check the current timetable before setting off.

When looking for a holiday apartment, it helps to first decide what you want to focus on during your stay: should Rastow itself—with its photography technology, railway station and cycling routes that pass through the town—be the main attraction, or are you more interested in the cultural and natural features of Fahrbinde and Kraak?

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Alt Krenzlin, Groß Laasch, Leussow, Uelitz, Sülstorf, Lübesse, Wöbbelin, Lüblow.

For the broader travel overview: Amt Ludwigslust-Land.