Colditz Castle
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (May 2011) |
Colditz Castle | |
---|---|
Schloss Colditz | |
General information | |
Architectural style | Renaissance |
Town or city | Colditz |
Country | Germany |
Coordinates | 51°07′52″N 12°48′27″E / 51.1310°N 12.8074°E |
Client | Augustus of Saxony |
Owner | State Palaces, Castles and Gardens of Saxony |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Hans Irmisch Peter Kummer |
Colditz Castle (or Schloss Colditz in German) is a
The castle gained international infamy as the site of Oflag IV-C, a prisoner-of-war camp during World War II for "incorrigible" Allied officers who had repeatedly attempted to escape from other camps.
Original castle
In 1046,
During the
As a result of family dynastic politics, the town of Colditz was incorporated into the
Periods of reconstruction and changes in use
During 1504, the servant Clemens the baker accidentally set Colditz afire, and the town hall, church, castle and a large part of the town was burned. During 1506, reconstruction began and new buildings were erected around the rear castle courtyard. During 1523, the castle park was converted into one of the largest zoos in Europe. During 1524, rebuilding of the upper floors of the castle began. The castle was reconstructed in a fashion that corresponded to the way it was divided-— into the cellar, the royal house and the banqueting hall building. There is nothing more to be seen of the original castle, where the present rear of the castle is located, but it is still possible to discern where the original divisions were (the Old or Lower House, the Upper House and the Great House).
The structure of the castle was changed during the long reign of the Elector Augustus of Saxony (1553–86), and the complex was reconstructed into a Renaissance style castle from 1577 to 1591, including the portions that were still in the gothic architectural style. Architects Hans Irmisch and Peter Kummer supervised further restoration and rebuilding. Later, Lucas Cranach the Younger was commissioned as an artist in the castle.
During this period the portal at what is known as the church house was created during 1584, made of Rochlitz Porphyr (
During the 19th century, the church space was rebuilt in the
For nearly 100 years, from 1829 to 1924, Colditz was a
When the
prisoners were housed there.Use as POW camp
After the outbreak of World War II, the castle was converted into a high security prisoner-of-war camp for officers who had become security or escape risks or who were regarded as particularly dangerous.[4] Since the castle is situated on a rocky outcrop above the River Mulde, the Germans believed it to be an ideal site for a high security prison.
The larger outer court in front of the Kommandantur (commander's offices) had only two exits and housed a large German garrison. The prisoners lived in an adjacent courtyard in a 90 ft (27 m) tall building. Outside, the flat
While the camp was home to prisoners of war from many different countries, including Poland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Canada, in May 1943 Wehrmacht High Command decided to house only British and American officers.
The camp's first British prisoners were the Laufen Six on November 7, 1940, who were transferred to Colditz after their first escape attempt from the Laufen Camp.
Although it was considered a high security prison, it had one of the greatest records of successful escape attempts. This could be owing to the general nature of the prisoners that were sent there; most of them had attempted escape previously from other prisons and were transferred to Colditz, because the Germans had thought the castle escape-proof.
One escape scheme even included a
During 1999, a full-sized replica of the glider was commissioned by
Captain Patrick R. Reid, who successfully escaped from Colditz in 1942, went on to write multiple works on the living conditions and various escape attempts at Colditz from 1940 to 1945: The Colditz Story and The Latter Days at Colditz. In the early 1970s, he served as a technical consultant for a BBC television series, Colditz (1972), featuring David McCallum, Edward Hardwicke and Robert Wagner, that focused on life at Colditz.
During the last days of the prison camp at Colditz, many of its prominent or high-ranking prisoners were transferred to Laufen by order of Himmler. But in April 1945, U.S. troops entered the town of Colditz and, after a two-day fight, captured the castle on April 16, 1945. In May 1945, the Soviet occupation of Colditz began. According to the agreement at the Yalta Conference it became a part of East Germany. The government turned Colditz Castle into a prison for local criminals. Later, the castle was a home for the aged and a nursing home, as well as a hospital and psychiatric clinic. For many years after the war, forgotten hiding places and tunnels were found by repairmen, including a radio room established by the French POWs, which was then "lost" again only to be rediscovered some twenty years later.
Notable occupants
- Gp Capt Douglas Bader, RAF flying ace, double leg amputee and subject of the documentary book and film Reach for the Sky
- Capt Micky Burn, No. 2 Commando, journalist and writer
- Lt Charles Hope, 51st (Highland) Division, 3rd Marquess of Linlithgow
- 2Lt Desmond Llewelyn, Royal Welch Fusiliers, later known as the actor playing Q in 17 James Bond films
- Lt Airey Neave, Royal Artillery, later Lt Col and Conservative MP
- Lt Col David Stirling, founder of the Special Air Service
- Capt Charles Upham VC and bar, 20th Battalion, the only fighting soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross twice.
- Capt Pat Reid, Royal Army Service Corps, one of the Laufen Six then British escape officer at Colditz, before writing about his experiences
- Col William Schaefer, US Army
- Gen Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski, Head of Polish Underground Army
- Gen Jean Flavigny, Notable Tank Commander from the Battle of France
- Gen Georges Bergé, co-founder of the Special Air Service
- Flt Lt Josef Bryks, Czech pilot, participant of the Great Escape, before which tried to escape three times.
Present
During 2006 and 2007, the castle underwent a significant amount of refurbishment and restoration which was paid for by the state of Saxony. The castle walls were repainted to recreate the appearance of the castle prior to World War II.
With renovations largely completed, the castle now includes both a museum and guided tours showing some of the escape tunnels built by
The outer courtyard and former German Kommandantur (guard quarters) have been converted into a youth hostel / hotel and the Gesellschaft Schloss Colditz e.V. (the Colditz Castle historical society), founded during 1996, has its offices in a portion of the administration building in the front castle court.
References
- ^ "Oflags". www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ P.R.Reid "The Latter Days at Colditz", chapter XXV
- ^ P.R.Reid "Colditz: The Final Story", photograph caption
- ISBN 0316083941.
- ISBN 0-7091-3643-9.
- ^ "Lee Carson". American Air Museum in Britain. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ South African R/C Modeller Issue 12. P. 16
- ^ "Escape from Colditz - Windfall Films". www.windfallfilms.com. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "Escape from Colditz - Department of Engineering". www.eng.cam.ac.uk. 6 August 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- Bibliography
- Baybutt, Ron, and Johannes Lange. Colditz: The Great Escapes. Boston: Little, Brown, 1982. ISBN 0316083941
- Booker, Michael. Collecting Colditz and Its Secrets. London: Grub Street, 2005. ISBN 1-904943-08-Xp. 32
- Reid, P. R. 1953. The Latter Days. Hodder & Stoughton. Also as The Latter Days at Colditz, 2003, Cassell Military Paperbacks. ISBN 978-1-4072-1466-5.
- Reid, Patrick. Colditz: The Full Story. New York: St. Martin's, 1984. ISBN 0-312-00578-4pp. 124, 259–263
- Schädlich, Georg Martin, Tales from Colditz Castle. Thomas Schädlich/Colditz Society, 2000. pp. 4–6, 27, 61, 63, 91–101.
- "What is special about Colditz Castle?" from the Gesellschaft Schloss Colditz e.V. homepage Retrieved March 19, 2005.
- Colditzer Schlossgeschichte "Colditz Castle Story" from the same homepage. Retrieved March 19, 2005.
- Further reading
External links
- Official Society Colditz Castle homepage
- Detail Aerial Photograph Detail from an aerial photograph of Colditz Castle in Saxony, Germany, on 10 April 1945 just three days before U.S. forces overran the area. Individual prisoners can be seen in the photograph
- Karl Höffkes German film archive Newsreel from a private archive: Two minutes of film of the castle and prisoners during World War II starts at timestamp 10:14:37
- Museum Digital: Schloss Colditz with photos of allied prisoners-of-war, art and other objects