Colditz Castle, Renaissance castle in Colditz, Germany
Colditz Castle is a Renaissance fortress on a hill above the Zwickauer Mulde with white gables and tall windows. The complex contains several courtyards between thick stone walls and towers that overlook the valley.
The fortress emerged in the 11th century as a Saxon stronghold and later became a royal palace. In the 19th century it served as a psychiatric hospital before being converted into a prisoner camp for Allied officers from 1939 onward.
Prisoners gave the facility its lasting identity through determination and resourcefulness that transformed ordinary rooms into workshop spaces for tools and disguises. Their legacy remains tangible in the unchanged cells where you can still see marks on walls and floors from their efforts to break free.
Visitors can explore the escape tunnels and hidden chambers on guided tours or walk through the museum independently with audio stations. Some rooms require climbing stairs so allow enough time to move between floors comfortably.
Prisoners built a working glider from bedsheets and floorboards that they planned to launch from the attic across the river. The aircraft was never tested because the war ended shortly before the planned escape attempt.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
