Rathenow

Town in the Land (administrative region) of Brandenburg, Germany, on the River Havel, 72 km/45 mi west of Berlin; population (2005 est) 27,000. It manufactures optical and precision instruments and chemicals.

Rathenow was sacked in the Thirty Years' War, and was the scene of a defeat of the Swedes in 1675 by the Elector Frederick William. The town suffered severe damage during World War II.