Rathenow () is a town in the district of

Havelland Geographically, the Havelland is the region around which the River Havel flows in a U-shape between Oranienburg to the northeast and Rhinow to the northwest. The northern boundary of the Havelland is formed by the River Rhin and the Rhin Canal. ...

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a states of Germany, state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an ar ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, with a population of 24,063 (2020).

Overview

The Protestant church of St. Marien Andreas, originally a basilica, and transformed to the Gothic style in 1517-1589, and the Roman Catholic Church of St. George, are noteworthy. Rathenow is known for being the former capital of

eyewear Eyewear consists of items and accessories worn on or over the eyes, for fashion or adornment, protection against the environment, and to improve or enhance visual acuity. Common forms of eyewear include glasses (also called ''eyeglasses'' or ''s ...

manufacturing in

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

. It is also known for its stones, called Rathenow stones. After the fall of the Soviet Union, it was revealed that the remains of

Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...

and his assistants were secretly buried in graves near Rathenow.V.K. Vinogradov and others, ''Hitler's Death: Russia's Last Great Secret from the Files of the KGB'', Chaucer Press 2005, 111. This work reproduces a Soviet map showing that the bodies were buried in a field near the village of Neu Friedrichsdorf, approximately one kilometre east of Rathenow.

Demography

File:Bevölkerungsentwicklung Rathenow.pdf, Development of Population since 1875 within the Current Boundaries (Blue Line: Population; Dotted Line: Comparison to Population Development of Brandenburg state) File:Bevölkerungsprognosen Rathenow.pdf, Recent Population Development and Projections (Population Development before Census 2011 (blue line); Recent Population Development according to the

Census in Germany A national census in Germany (german: Volkszählung) was held every five years from 1875 to 1910. After the World Wars, only a few full population censuses have been held, the last in 1987. The most recent census, though not a national census, wa ...

in 2011 (blue bordered line); Official projections for 2005-2030 (yellow line); for 2017-2030 (scarlet line); for 2020-2030 (green line)

Twin towns — sister cities

Rathenow is twinned with: *

Złotów Złotów (german: Flatow) is a town in northwestern Poland, with a population of 18,303 inhabitants (2011). Today it is part of Greater Poland Voivodeship (province), previously being in Piła Voivodeship (1975–1998). Since 1999 Złotów has b ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

Rendsburg Rendsburg ( da, Rendsborg, also ''Rensborg'', nds, Rendsborg, also ''Rensborg'') is a town on the River Eider and the Kiel Canal in the central part of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the capital of the ''Kreis'' (district) of Rendsburg-Ecke ...

, Germany

Notable people

* Christian Beeck (born 1971), footballer * Stephan Bodecker (1384–1459), Bishop of Brandenburg * Jörg Friedrich (rower) (born 1959), rower *

Jörg Freimuth Jörg Freimuth (born 10 September 1961 in Rathenow, Bezirk Potsdam) is a retired East German high jumper. He won the bronze medal for East Germany in the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow, Soviet Union with a jump of 2.31 metres. He retired ...

(born 1961), high jumper *

Jörg Heinrich Jörg Heinrich (born 6 December 1969) is a German professional football manager and former player. A highly versatile player, he was employed in a variety of positions in defense ( centre-back and left-back) and midfield ( left and defensive ...

(born 1969), football player and manager * Wulf Herzogenrath (born 1944), art historian and

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

* Rosemarie Köhn (born 1939), 1993-2006 Bishop of

Hamar Hamar is a List of cities in Norway, town in Hamar Municipality in Innlandet Counties of Norway, county, Norway. Hamar is the administrative centre of Hamar Municipality. It is located in the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Hedmarken. ...

(Norway) (world's second woman as a Lutheran bishop) *

Joachim Mrugowsky Joachim Mrugowsky (15 August 1905 – 2 June 1948) was a German bacteriologist who conducted experiments on humans at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. He was Associate Professor, Medical Doctorate, Chief of Hygiene Institute of the Waffen-SS ...

(1905–1948), physician and Nazi war criminal; executed * Mario Streit (born 1967), rower * Immo Stabreit (born 1933), diplomat * George William Ziemann (1809–1881), Christian Missionary

References

External links

* {{Authority control Localities in Havelland