Compensation element with relative position display

The invention relates to a compensating element (10) having a first and a second component (20; a locking mechanism (50) is provided, which can be switched between a first operating state, in which the first component (20) is fixedly connected to the second component (40), defining a zero position between the first and second components, and a second operating state, in which the first and second components are connected to each other via a spring mechanism (60). The compensating element (10) has a central axis (11), and the first and second components are at least partially juxtaposed to each other in the direction of the central axis (11). According to the invention, a measuring system (70) is provided, by means of which the relative position between the first and the second component can be measured, the first or the second component having a light-emitting surface (80) visible from the outside, the light-emitting state of the light-emitting surface (80) depending on the relative position measured by means