Colditz

Colditz Castle overlooks the old town of Colditz, on the River Mulde, eastern Germany.

Castle in eastern Germany, near Leipzig, used as a high-security prisoner-of-war camp (Oflag IVC) in World War II. Among daring escapes was that of British Captain Patrick Reid (1910-1990) and others in October 1942, whose story contributed much to its fame. It became a museum in 1989. A highly successful British TV drama series called Colditz (1972) was based on prisoners' experiences.

The castle was considered escape-proof and so was used to house prisoners with important connections and those who had a record of escape from less secure camps. Although there were 130 successful escapes, only 32 managed to evade recapture.

In 1990 the castle was converted to a hotel.