Schloss Colditz
Great escapes
Ruler‘s seat, hunting lodge, widow‘s residence – with its white gables Colditz Castle is one of the most beautiful and stylistically unadulterated architectural monuments of Central Germany in the 16th century. When nowadays groups of travelers from around the world crowd around the castle and its grounds, then this is not only because of their interest in Renaissance architecture. The reason for the crowd has more to do with recent history than with the past since the spacious castle was a significant internment camp for high ranking officers of the Western allies during the Second World War and it was to become world famous later through the book ”The Colditz Story“ and the film of the same name.
Mainly British, Dutch and French military personnel were kept prisoner here including the nephew of Winston Churchill and the nephew of the then king of England, George VI. The prisoners of the ”Oflag (officer‘s camp) IVC“ were, however, only minimally impressed by the lovely atmosphere of the castle – they were mainly interested in escaping. About 300 documents of escape attempts exist, some of them reveal an unbelievable creativity, including successful escape attempts which today are part of this legendary military history.
Secret radio rooms kept the prisoners in contact with their home country, tunnels were forced through the castle walls and even a glider was made. The ”Escape Museum“ of course looks at this aspect of the castle‘s history in great detail.
But also the battlements with the mighty walls, the prince‘s house, the Renaissance portal of the Trinity Church, the castle tower with the Welsh dome and the old stone bridge still impress visitors today. Also incorporated in the castle are the Saxon State Music Academy and the ”Colditz Castle European Youth Hostel“.
Address
Staatliche Schlösser, Burgen und
Gärten Sachsen
Schlossgasse 1 | D-04680 Colditz
Phone +49 (0) 3 43 81 5 51 51
Fax +49 (0) 3 43 81 5 51 41
colditz@schloesserland-sachsen.de
Museum Colditz Castle
Society Colditz Castle
Schlossgasse 1 | D-04680 Colditz
Phone +49 (0) 3 43 81 4 37 77
Fax +49 (0) 3 43 81 4 53 83
kultur@gesellschaft-schloss-colditz.com
www.schloss-colditz.com
European Youth Hostel at Colditz Castle
Phone +49 (0) 3 43 81 4 50 10
jhcolditz@djh.de
www.jugendherberge.de
Disabled access
Limited accessibility
