Not a town: the Slav castle 'Alt Rathenow' on the west bank of the Havel is recorded for 1157; the place is first named 'Ratenowe' on 28 December 1216, when Bishop Siegfried II of Brandenburg confirmed his archdeaconry rights to the cathedral chapter.
Town rights 1295.
Who holds it
- Name
- Margrave Otto II (not pinned)
- Title
- Lord
- Since
- not pinned
- Confidence
- low
Rathenow, de.wikipedia
Lord in 1200
Not pinned (presumably the margrave).
How things stand that morning
A Havel crossing in the margrave's Havelland; holder not pinned.
Charter
Not yet a chartered town.
Council
None yet.
Walls and castle
Slav castle (Burgwall).
Trade and crafts
Havel crossing.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: No written record before 1216.
Primary sources for Brandenburg (Otto II)
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Annals of Pegau; Annals of Magdeburg (12th and 13th centuries; Pegau continued to 1227). The annals of the Wettin lands and of Magdeburg. Read online
- Chronicle of the Lauterberg (Petersberg near Halle), Konrad of Lauterberg (about 1225). The house chronicle of the Wettin foundation on the Lauterberg, sharp-tongued and well informed on Saxony, Meissen and Magdeburg. Read online
- Deeds of the archbishops of Magdeburg (main text to 1142, continued in the 13th and 14th centuries). The Magdeburg house history, with a continuation covering Archbishop Ludolf of Kroppenstedt (1192 to 1205), a firm supporter of Philip who hosted the king's Christmas court at Magdeburg on 25 December 1199. Read online
- Pomeranian charter book, volume 1, 786 to 1253 (documents of 786 to 1253, edited 1868). All known charters for Pomerania and Rügen to 1253. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.