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- A former residence of the kings of Saxony, the castle was used in 1939 as a prisoner-of-war camp, and in 1940 it became a maximum security prison for escape-prone Allied officers.
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Colditz Castle, German prisoner-of-war camp in World War II, the site of many daring escape attempts by Allied officers. The castle sits on a steep hill overlooking the Mulde River as it flows through the small Saxon town of Colditz, about 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Leipzig.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- The Holy Roman Empire and The Construction of Colditz Castle
- Renovations and Use as A Mental Hospital
- Colditz Castle Becomes A Prisoner of War Camp
- Life at Oflag IV-C
- Colditz Castle Is Returned to Its Pre-War Appearance
The history of Colditz Castle dates back to around 1046, when Holy Roman Emperor Henry III gave the Burghers, part of the medieval bourgeoisie, permission to create the first documented settlement at the location. In 1083, Henry VI suggested building on the castle site, and in 1158 Emperor Frederick I made Thimo I the “Lord of Colditz,” after which...
Colditz Castle was once again the victim of a fire in 1504, when a baker accidentally set the building aflame. The blaze spread to the town hall, church and a large portion of the settlement, meaning reconstruction efforts had to, again, be undertaken. This began in 1506 and continued through to 1524, when the upper floors were rebuilt. Around this...
For many, Colditz Castle is infamous for being the site of Oflag IV-C, a prisoner of war camp that housed Allied officers during World War II. In 1933, the German government converted the property into a political prison for Jewish people, Communists, homosexuals and others they deemed to be “undesirable.” Allied prisoners were sent there five year...
Those imprisoned at Oflag IV-C were largely in charge of their own entertainment. To keep themselves busy, prisoners would play music and hold performances of classic plays and homemade revues, produce moonshine, swap stories and play stoolball, a form of rugby. Polish prisoners even organized the first camp Olympics. The primary reason Colditz Cas...
The Soviet Union began its occupation of Colditz in May 1945. Under the agreement made at the Yalta Conference, it became part of East Germany. During this time, the castle was used as a prison, then as a nursing home and hospital. Between 2006-07, the walls of Colditz Castle were repainted to appear in the same state they were prior to WWII. The c...
The castle gained international fame as the site of Oflag IV-C, a prisoner-of-war camp during World War II for "incorrigible" Allied officers who had repeatedly attempted to escape from other camps.
Mar 4, 2023 · The German castle, located about 22 miles northwest of the city of Leipzig, served as an internment camp for captured Allied officers during the war, specifically those who had a knack for...
Nov 21, 2022 · Early in the Second World War, the medieval Colditz Castle was converted into a prisoner of war camp, intended to hold those Allied officers deemed most likely to escape or cause trouble for their German army captors.
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Originally a medieval fortress, the castle was repurposed during World War II as a high-security prisoner-of-war camp for Allied officers. It was thought to be particularly immune to escape attempts, but throughout the war, Colditz witnessed some of the most ingenious escape plots of the era.
Apr 28, 2020 · Today, you can still visit Colditz Castle, which has been restored to its condition from before the war, but has retained many of the escape tunnels and hidden rooms created by the Allied prisoners, some preserved under glass.
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