Colditz Castle

Schloss Colditz stands on a rocky spur above the Zwickauer Mulde in Saxony. Built in the 12th century as an imperial lookout, it became a hunting lodge and royal residence for Saxon electors. The castle’s long history includes a Renaissance rebuilding in the 16th century, when it gained a grand portal of Rochlitz porphyr and a redesigned chapel.

The castle is best known as Oflag IV-C, a high-security prisoner-of-war camp during the Second World War. It held Allied officers who had repeatedly tried to escape other camps, including the Laufen Six transferred in 1940. Despite its reputation as escape-proof, the prisoners attempted daring schemes such as the Colditz Cock glider built in the attic.

Visitors today walk through the two courtyards and see the tall prisoner block watched by sentries. The attic still shows where the glider was built, and the chapel links the cellars to the electors’ former quarters. The castle park, once a menagerie in the 16th century, remains a peaceful setting above the river.