I guess that tiny Colditz in western Saxony wouldn’t be on many people’s radars if it weren’t for its Renaissance Castle. It’s certainly beautiful, but the main reason Colditz Castle is known internationally is its infamous role as a Prisoner of War Camp during World War II.

That said, unlike many historical sites from that dark period of German history, it’s less known for the atrocities committed there and more for the ingenious escape attempts by the resourceful prisoners who were interred in the castle.

We recently took a trip to Colditz from our home base in nearby Leipzig. Here’s everything you need to know about this unique historical place.

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History of Colditz Castle

The castle was built in the early 16^th century at the peak of Renaissance Architecture as a hunting lodge for Friedrich III, who was at that time the prince-elector of Saxony. It then served as a temporary residence for German nobility for almost 300 years before being converted into a prison in the 19^th century.

During World War II, Colditz became notorious under the name Oflag IV-C as a German prison camp for Allied Officers. As such, it’s best known for the high amount of escape attempts made by the prisoners. Of these, 35 people actually managed to escape, including 12 French, 11 British, 7 Dutch, one Polish and one Belgian prisoner.

The amusing part is that Colditz was actually a high-security prison camp meant to be escape-proof. By bringing together mainly prisoners who had attempted escape from other camps, the Germans inadvertently created some kind of prison-break think tank.

There are some films about the more spectacular attempts, including the 1955 film “The Colditz Story”, which was directed by Guy Hamilton of James Bond fame. Apart from that, tons of books, documentaries and some board games and video games show the continuing fascination with Colditz.

Visiting Colditz Castle

The small town of Colditz, which has only around 8000 inhabitants, is located about 35km south-east of Leipzig, Saxony’s largest city, and is easy to visit on a day trip from there. 

The impressive castle building dominates the skyline of the town and after climbing up to the ramparts, we were rewarded with great views of the town and surrounding plain of the River Zwickauer Mulde.

Inside, we visited the Escape Museum, which does a good job explaining the different escape attempts, and took a guided tour of the other parts of the building.

Colditz Escape Museum

The small “Fluchtmuseum” (Escape Museum) goes through all the escape plans hatched by the imprisoned officers. There are documents, photographs and lots of objects used in the attempts. We found the level of ingenuity that went into these breakout attempts absolutely fascinating.

There are tons of pieces of contraband smuggled into the prison, as well as quite a few objects that the officers used as hiding places to smuggle themselves out in. We were especially impressed by a secret radio station hidden behind a fake wall, which was used to make calls to the Allies.

What we found surprising, is that only one of the would-be escapees was killed by the captors (and that one was apparently an accident from a ricocheted bullet), while most of them were penalized with solitary confinement.

Some of them actually recreated their attempts for German photographers afterwards, and the hilarious results are shown in the museum, too. A few of these are also placed as life-size photo cutouts in the courtyard, like the French Lieutenant who dressed as a German lady during a supervised walk outside the castle.

All of this meant that the visit didn’t leave us rattled by the horrors of war so much, but instead made us smile a lot for the sheer audacity of the imprisoned officers. The opening times of the museum differ depending on the season. You can check the current ones here.

Colditz Castle Tour

Many parts of the castle can only be visited by taking the “Legendary Escapes“ guided tour (in German and English), which we found really worthwhile. It took us from the attic to the basement of the castle and once again, the focus was on the different escape attempts.

For instance, in the attic, there’s the life-sized reconstruction of a small gliding plane, whichthe prisoners managed to construct undetected. They were never able to try it out, though, as the war ended before they could complete it.

What we found even more impressive were the sections of an intricate tunnel, which was dug by a group of French officers, and which wound its way through the wine cellar and even the bell tower of the castle chapel. It’s worth taking the tour just to get an impression of the scope of that project alone.

The tours only take place from April to October and it’s best to pre-book them, as there’s just one every few days. You can check the current schedule here. There are different options available, including an XXL Tour, where you can see even more of the castle. You can find the prices for the different tours here.

Practicalities

How to Get to Colditz Castle from Leipzig

Leipzig is the best base to visit Colditz. You can get there by taking the train from Leipzig Main Station to the small town of Grimma (about 30 mins / 8€) and continuing on by bus (about 30 mins / 3.50€).

When we did the trip, we took Bus Number 619, which went hourly during the week and every two hours on Saturdays and Sundays. You can check the current connections on this site. From the bus stop “Colditz, Sportplatz”, it’s a 10-minute walk up to the castle through the pretty town centre.

Where to Stay in Colditz

We visited on a day trip from Leipzig, but if you’d like to stay in Colditz, there are several options. Part of the castle nowadays is actually used as a youth hostel with the slogan “Feeling Good Instead of Planning Your Escape”. You can check for some other options in the map below.

Where to Eat in Colditz

There are a couple of restaurants near the castle and in the old town. We can recommend “Schloßwächter” directly outside the southern gatehouse of the castle, which has typical regional food. There are some more options around the town’s small main square.

Where to Go Next

The ultimate one-day itinerary for Leipzig, Germany’s cultural Boomtown

Visiting the impressive Monument to the Battle of Nations in Leipzig