Colditz Castle

Colditz Castle is a castle in the town of Colditz near Leipzig, Dresden, and Chemnitz in the state of Saxony in Germany ({{coor dms|51|7|38.208|N|12|48|30.384|E|}}). Used as a workhouse for the indigent and a mental institution for over 100 years, it became notorious as Oflag IVc or Offizier Lager IVc (Officer's Camp IVc), a prisoner-of-war camp for "incorrigible" allied officers who had repeatedly escaped from other camps, as well as volksfeindlich (those "treasonous against the people") during World War II.

Related Topics:
Castle - Colditz - Leipzig - Dresden - Chemnitz - State - Saxony - Germany - Workhouse - Mental institution - Prisoner-of-war camp - Allied - World War II

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The Nazi Schutzstaffel (SS) made Colditz a Sonderlager (high-security prison), the only one of its type within Germany. Hermann Göring — holder of the singular rank Reichsmarschall ("Field Marshal of the Empire") — even declared Colditz "escape-proof". This was in part because of its lack of escapes during its term as prison camp in World War I, but mostly due to it being the only German prisoner-of-war camp with more guards than prisoners. Yet despite this audacious claim, there were multiple escapes by British, French, Polish, Dutch, and Belgian inmates.

Related Topics:
Nazi - Schutzstaffel - Prison - Hermann Göring - Reichsmarschall - Field Marshal - World War I - Prisoner-of-war - British - French - Polish - Dutch - Belgian

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