Footsteps of WWII · Berlin & eastern Germany
Colditz Castle
Fortification · 1940–16 Apr 1945
The story
Perched above the Mulde, Colditz Castle became Oflag IV-C, a prisoner-of-war camp for Allied officers the Germans classed as escape or security risks. Concentrating persistent escapers in one place produced the opposite of what was intended: tunnels, forged papers, home-made uniforms and one of the best escape records of any camp. In the winter of 1944–45 prisoners built a two-man glider, the Colditz Cock, in a hidden attic workshop, but it never flew. In the last days Himmler ordered prominent prisoners moved away. US troops took the castle on 16 April 1945 after a two-day fight in the town.
What to look for
Tour the inner courtyard where prisoners exercised, the chapel with the excavated tunnel under its floor, and the museum of escape devices. Guided tours show the routes of famous escapes; a replica of the Colditz Cock has been displayed.
Plan your visit
Museum Mon–Fri 10:00–17:00, Sat–Sun 10:00–18:00; €12 (reduced €10). English 'Legendary Escapes' tours run on set dates; book ahead. Check the website before you go.
Things change, so check opening times before you travel.
Nearby sites
- Torgau: the Elbe Day meeting · 50 km
- Dresden Frauenkirche and the 1945 bombing · 66 km
- Bundeswehr Military History Museum, Dresden · 67 km
All 160 sites in Footsteps of WWII →
Footsteps of WWII: Europe 1939–1945
A free field guide for your phone: the route, the maps and the stories built in, even with no signal. The whole Second World War in Europe, from the first shots at Westerplatte on 1 September 1939 to the German surrender in May 1945: Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, Normandy, Arnhem, Bastogne, Stalingrad, Berlin and the camps, in 15 areas from Britain to Russia.
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