Colditz Castle

Colditz is known as Schloss Colditz in German.

It is a Renaissance castle in the town of Colditz which is near Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitzin the state of Saxony, Germany.

The original castle was built in AD 1200.But was burnt down by the hussites in 1430.

It was rebuilt in 1464 by Prince Ernest who did in the castle 1 year later.

The castle was again set on fire in 1504 by the servant/baker named Clemens as he was preparing a meal.

The fire was so ferocious that it not only burnt the castle down but also the town hall, church and a very large part of the town.

In 1523 the grounds of the castle was turned into one of the largest zoo’s in Europe!

The rebuilding of the castle began in 1524

Elector Augustus of Saxony decided to reconstruct the castle into a Renaissance style castle from 1577-1591.

In the nineteenth century the castle was used to feed the poor, the ill and those under arrest in the city, it would stay this way until in

1829when it became a mental hospital for the incurably insane. From 1829-1924 Colditz Castle became a high profile sanitarium

for te wealthy and the nobility of Germany.

During the second world war the castle was converted into a high security prisoner of war camp (POW) for enemy officers that were

considered dangerous and at risk of escape.The castle was situated on a rocky outcrop which was above the River Mulde. And to the Germans this seemed like the perfect

location for a high security prison.Prisoners lived in a contiguous courtyard in a 90ft (27m) tall

building.The courtyard was heavily fortified by barbed wire and surrounded

by flat terraces, which had armed sentries at all times.

The locals of Colditz call the castle colditz Castle, but it is officially known as Oflag IV (which was controlled by the

Wehrmacht).

There were many reasons why Colditz Castle put fear into its prisoners more so than any other Nazi POW camp. The castle was 400 miles from any frontier not under Nazi rule. The castles outer

walls were 7 feet thick and the had a straight drop of 250 feet to the River Mulde.

Even though Colditz was considered as a high security prison, it had the highest number of successful escapes for a POW camp!

There were many escape plans taught up by the POW’s but the one that is most fondly remembered is when in the attic of Colditz Lieutenant Tony Rolt and some other POW’s began building a glider from beech, with cupboard bolt and gramophone needle.

The glider was called the Colditz Cock.And in the winter of 1944-45 the glider was ready but after the great escape in which 50 escapee soldiers were caught by the

Nazi’s and executed by the Gestafo. Due to this the escape was discouraged and was never attempted.

On the sixteenth of April 1945 US Troops captured Colditz and the prisoners were released.

In May 1945 the Soviet occupation of Colditz began and the village became part of East Germany.

The Soviets then turned the castle into a prison camp and later became a nursing home.

The last residents moved out in 1996

Colditz Castle is now used as a museum\youth hostel an attracts tourist from all over the world!

By

Jack Tucker

By Jack Tucker