Rathenow lighthouse

The Leuchtturm Rathenow is a former mole lighthouse from Warnemünde, now standing in the Optikpark of Rathenow. It is a six-sided steel tower built in 1990 on the central mole of Warnemünde harbour. After being removed in 1997 due to harbour redesign, it was stored until a local group restored it to Rathenow in 2008. The tower’s lens came from the Optische Anstalt Rathenow Gebrüder Picht & Co, Germany’s first maker of Fresnel lighthouses. The lighthouse carries the colours of Brandenburg and was lit for the first time in 2009 during the Long Night of Optics. Its 300-millimetre Fresnel lens was produced by the same firm that equipped more than a hundred lighthouses worldwide. The light is switched on only for special events to avoid disturbing nearby residents. Inside the Optikpark, the tower stands beside displays of optical instruments and lenses. Visitors can walk around its base and read panels about its history and the optics industry of Rathenow. The park itself is set beside the Havel river, offering calm water views and paths lined with historic street lamps.