Cape Arkona, Headland with lighthouses in Putgarten, Germany.
Cape Arkona sits at the northern tip of Rügen Island and forms a clifftop section above the sea, where two lighthouses and a naval direction finder tower stand. The chalk formation drops sharply toward the water and offers an open view across the sea.
A Slavic fortress known as Jaromarsburg stood on the cape from the 9th century and served the Rani people until Danish forces captured it in 1168. The first lighthouse was built in 1827 to designs by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, followed by a second tower in 1902.
The nineteenth-century Schinkelturm lighthouse measures 19.3 meters in height, while its 1902 counterpart stands at 35 meters with a three-flash rotating system.
A path leads up from the parking area in Putgarten on foot, while horse-drawn carriages and a small train also run to the cape. Visiting is possible throughout the year, though sturdy footwear is helpful during windy or wet weather.
The chalk cliffs break away regularly and lose several meters in width each winter, slowly shifting the coastline inward. The older brick lighthouse was used for a time as a studio by artists after it stopped operating.
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