Colditz, Germany, 2024.

Colditz, Germany: This small town in the district of Leipzig, in the state of Saxony, Germany. It is best known for the Renaissance Castle Colditz (five minute uphill walk from my hotel) which held allied prisoners during World War II.

I read a couple books written by Castle Colditz prisoners when in High School. Making this the first item on my Bucket List!

During 1158, the major building works began. By 1200, the town around the market and castle was established. It was in this era the castle was a magnificent hunting lodge.

Old Marketplace – There are several houses built in the 1500s along the walk to the Castle. In 1829, the castle became a mental hospital for the “incurably insane.”

During World War I, the castle was also used as a Prisoner of War camp.

When the Nazis came to power in 1933, they turned the castle into a political prison for communists, homosexuals, Jews, and other “undesirables.”

It was not until 1939 that allied prisoners were housed here. This thousand-year-old fortress was in the heart of Hitler’s Reich, four hundred miles from any frontier not under Nazi control. Its outer walls were seven feet thick and the cliff on which it was built had a sheer drop of two hundred and fifty feet to the River Mulde below, making it “un-escapable.”

The Castle gained its international infamy as the site of Allied airforce officers prisoner-of-war camp during World War II. These Allied airforce officers were considered “incorrigible” for repeatedly attempted to escape from other POW camps.

In April, 1945, US troops entered the town of Colditz, and, after a two-day fight, conquered the castle.

In May, 1945, the Soviet occupation of Colditz began as Colditz was controlled by East Germany. The Soviets used the castle as a nursing home for the aged, as well as a hospital with a psychiatric clinic.

During 2006 and 2007, the castle underwent a significant amount of refurbishment and restoration. The castle walls were repainted to recreate the appearance of the castle before World War II. Repairmen and archeologists continued to find forgotten hiding spots and tunnels. And, I’m sure thr castle still holds many secrets not yet found!

Twenty years after the war investigators found the radio used by prisoners which they used to communicate with England.

In 2024 the Castle Colditz offered an amazing HistoPad Tablet which allows one to view what happened in an area of the castle over the years. As you move in and around the castle you can view what happened in that area. Some areas have a slider which lets you view different eras of what went on in that room!