RATHENOW a small town of Prussia in the province of Brandenburg, lies on the right bank of the Havel, 44 miles to the west of Berlin. It is known for its “Rathenow stones,” i.e., bricks made of the clay of the Havel, and for its spectacles and optical instruments, which are exported to various parts of the world. It contains no buildings of note. The population in 1880 was 11,394, including 174 Roman Catholics and 68 Jews.

Rathenow has enjoyed the privileges of a town since 1217. In 1394 it was taken and partly destroyed by the archbishop of Magdeburg. During the Thirty Years’ War it was repeatedly occupied by the opposing troops, and in 1675 it was cleverly snatched from the Swedish garrison by the Great Elector.