Colditz Oflag IVc “The ‘Bad Boys’ Camp

In April 2006 I fulfilled a personal ambition by visiting Colditz.

Accompanied by my eight year old son we explored the castle, its grounds, the Town and the surrounding area. My thorough research of the subject matter, backed by my own extensive personal library on Colditz meant I was well prepared. However, what I found when I arrived was a period of time much underappreciated in general by the locals but, as with many things in life, kept alive by one or two local individuals (who shall remain nameless) who seek to keep the memory of what happened there last forever.

It transpired that I knew far more than the locals about the history of the POW camp but then again given the oppresive Cold War years influence on this part of the former East Germany it is not surprising.

My own knowledge was added to by the locals I have mentioned who showed me where the former concentration camp was, where the ‘other’ POW camp was in Colditz Town, where Bader and his comrades played football, where the solitary confinement cells down in the town were (the Castle’s were always full), the abandoned railways station where the prisoners first arrived in Colditz, the Adolf Hitler Bridge (now renamed of course), the former SS Headquarters. Perhaps most amazingly of all I had the priviledge of a private viewing of the largest collection of Colditz memorabilia (from all nations perspective) in existence. I saw the tip of the iceberg of a private collection – once hidden from the former East German State Police.

If you go there on your own you will have a great time, if you go as part of a coach trip you will see the usual sites, if you follow my recommendations you will have a trip of a lifetime. For example, the Castle Theatre. This is central to any trip. My son and I were refused admittance as it was not part of the ‘Castle Tour’. When I spoke to my local contacts we returned the following day to be ‘left alone in theTheatre for as long as we liked’. In complete breach of all Health & Safety regulations (it looks as though when the curtain went down on the last play the room had been sealed and only opened for our benefit) we spent quite a while taking in the charged atmosphere of the moment.

We stayed at the Pension "Zur Alten Stadtmauer". A historic building, full of character and with a well stocked library on the topic area we are interested in. As far as I am concerned the only place to stay in Colditz Town.

Pension "Zur Alten Stadtmauer"
Am Graben 5
D-04680 Colditz
Tel. 0049 (0) 34381 53363
E: ralgy@web.de
W: www.colditz.de/alte_stadtmauer/

Ralf Gorny, the owner of the Pension, has put together a website and is encouraging controlled tourism to Colditz Town. I thoroughly recommend a visit to this site: www.colditztravel.com

We flew by Ryan Air and booked via the web. Our flights cost £4.79 each way (plus taxes) but I have seen them for £0.79. Ralf Gorny arranged transfers to and from Altenburg Airport (Liepzig) for a small charge. Our next trip is planed for Autumn 2006 and we aim to go to Sagan (now Zagan), now in Poland, the “Great Escape Camp”. From time to time, I will conduct personal tours to Colditz. Please e mail me for details.

Rather than create my own site I have included a number of links which any enthusiast would find very useful:

Castle Colditz Official Site

Colditz Town Site

Colditz web site by Peter Tyson

Colditz web site by Paul Dean

Colditz web site by Mark Mawtus

Colditz web site by Ron Taylor

Colditz web site by Mike Kemble

Colditz Oflag 4c comprehensive book list

Colditz Information

Colditz Information

Imperial War Museum London - Great Escape Exhibition

Imperial War Museum

Prisoner of War links

List of WW2 POW Camps

WW2 POW Camps

WW2 POW Camps

“The Great Escape” Camp Links

Prisoner of War Research

POW research information

WW2 Ex RAF website

The Wartime Memories Project