Schinkelturm
Arkona 2, 18556 Putgarten, Germany
Name and Location
The Schinkelturm (Schinkel Tower) is a historic lighthouse tower located in Putgarten, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Its official name is Schinkelturm.
2. Construction and History
The Schinkelturm was built between 1826-27 by architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel. It was the older of two towers at the site and originally served as a coastal lighthouse marking the entrance to the Rügen bays. The tower ceased to be an active aid to navigation in 1905, when a larger cast-iron lighthouse was erected nearby.
3. Architecture and Materials
The Schinkelturm is a cylindrical brick tower with a gallery and lantern (lantern removed after decommissioning). It has a height of 22 m and features solid brick masonry, rendered, and painted white with a red gallery deck. The architectural style is early 19th-century neoclassical utility architecture typical of Schinkel's minor works.
4. Light and Navigation
The Schinkelturm no longer functions as a lighthouse; its light apparatus was removed in 1905. There is no AIS or radar installed, and nautical charts formerly charted the tower in BSH German charts for Arkona (now superseded).
5. Accessibility and Visiting
Visitors may climb an internal spiral staircase to the former gallery deck for panoramic views of the Baltic Sea, the adjacent new lighthouse, steep chalk cliffs, and the surrounding Jasmund National Park coastline. The Schinkelturm is open to visitors seasonally, with wheelchair access not available (no lift, internal stair only). Facilities include a viewing platform only; no public restrooms or café inside the tower.
6. Notable Views and Landscape
7. Anecdotes and Folklore
Schinkel's design brief commissioned a compact tower that exemplified early-19th-century pragmatism combined with classical proportions. Local lore recalls severe storms that shook the tower's walls during its operational years. Legends connect Cape Arkona with Slavic deity worship and the "Jaromarsburg" fortress; the lighthouse "watchers" were long believed to guard against Wendish raiders.
8. Technical and Operational Details
There is no AIS or radar installed, and nautical charts formerly charted the tower in BSH German charts for Arkona (now superseded).
9. Further Information
For further information, please consult the official site of Cape Arkona at https://www.kap-arkona.de or visit Wikidata: Q30147105, Wikipedia (en): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Arkona_Lighthouse, and Denkmaldatenbank M-V: listing for "Schinkelturm".
Details
| Name | Schinkelturm |
|---|---|
| City | Putgarten |
| Country | Germany |
| Coordinates | 54.6796206, 13.4324968 |
| Website | https://www.kap-arkona.de/die-tuerme/schinkelturm/ |
| Year of construction | 1826 |
| Keeper stories | Local lore recalls severe storms that shook the tower's walls. |
| Stories | Until 1905, a single keeper and his assistant manned the light, hauling oil up the narrow stair—local lore recalls severe storms that shook the tower's walls. |
| Architectural style | Early 19th-century neoclassical utility architecture |
| Architect | Karl Friedrich Schinkel |
| Construction material | "brick" |
| Tower height | 22 |
| Renovations | 1905 (when a larger cast-iron lighthouse was erected nearby) |
| Access description | By car via the L30 road from Putgarten or by regional bus services; a fee-based parking area and a shuttle bus operate in peak season. Also accessible by guided bicycle or hiking trails along the cliff top. |
| Accessible | true |
| Landscape type | Chalk cliffs rising up to 45 m above sea level; coastal heath and maritime forest; protected nature reserve |
| View description | 360° panorama of Cape Arkona, the Baltic Sea horizon, the new steel-frame lighthouse, the Slavic temple site (Jaromarsburg) and forests of Jasmund |
| Guided tours | true |
| Facilities | Viewing platform only; no public restrooms or café inside tower (toilets nearby at the Cape Arkona visitor center) |
| Opening hours | Please consult the official site above; hours typically run from spring through early autumn. |
| Nearby attractions | ["Neuer Leuchtturm (New Lighthouse, 1905) – still active, cast-iron tower open to visitors","Slavic Temple Site (Jaromarsburg) – ruins of a 9th-century Wendish shrine","Cape Arkona Visitor Center – exhibitions on local geology, maritime history, boat tours","Jasmund National Park – famous for its white chalk cliffs and beech forests (UNESCO World Heritage)"] |
| AIS Radar | false |
| Automated | false |