Attraction · Colditz · Updated on 1 November 2026.
Colditz Castle is an attraction in Colditz, Saxony. This place has an audio tour of about 2 minutes, in English or Dutch. 1 of the 31 well-known points of interest nearby is within 1 km. Within 680 m you'll find a bench, a public toilet and a water point.
Audio tour · Colditz Castle
2:16
You're standing at Colditz Castle, high on a steep rocky spur above the Zwickauer Mulde river. Take a good look at that position. On one side there's a sheer drop, on the other side thick walls. No wonder the Germans thought nobody could ever escape from here. They were wrong.
Read and hear the whole story in the Outdoor Pitstop app: check in at this place and it is yours (with Pro; new users are Pro for the first 4 weeks).
Source: OpenStreetMap and Wikidata.
10 photos from Wikimedia Commons. In the app you add your own photo when you are there.
Colditz Castle is an attraction in Colditz. During the war, the castle became world-famous as a tightly guarded camp for officers who had already escaped once. Prisoners from several countries made around 300 escape attempts here, and 31 of them succeeded. You will find Colditz Castle on Schlossgasse in Colditz. The Oflag IV-C museum is 37 metres away.
The castle stands high on a steep rocky outcrop above the Zwickauer Mulde. You can see thick walls and a richly decorated portal by the church building. The building is 27 metres high around a courtyard. Outside, there is also a castle park that was once a game park. Inside the museum, you can see tunnels that prisoners dug. In the chapel, glass panels in the floor let you look straight down into a tunnel dug by prisoners. The outer bailey now houses a youth hostel.
Colditz Castle was first mentioned in 1046. A baker's fire in 1504 led to extensive rebuilding, and between 1577 and 1591 the building was given its renaissance style. The portal by the church building was made in 1584 from porphyry from Rochlitz. Later, August de Sterke expanded the castle to around 700 rooms. In 1523 the castle park became the first wildpark in Duitsland and one of the largest zoos in Europe. From 1803 the building served as a poorhouse, and from 1829 to 1924 as a psychiatric institution. During the war, officers from several countries were held there in the Oflag IV-C camp. British prisoners secretly built a glider in the attic. American troops took the castle on 16 April 1945. In 2012, an unmanned replica of that glider was launched from the roof.
There are plenty of spots to rest nearby. 19 benches stand within 500 metres of Colditz Castle, and the closest is 19 metres away. For a toilet, walk to Schulstraße, where a public toilet is 389 metres away. It is always open and wheelchair accessible, and you pay with coins. There are no drinking water points within 500 metres. The nearest one is at the Friedhof Colditz, a 676-metre walk from the castle.
There is more to discover around the castle on a walk. The Oflag IV-C museum is 37 metres away. A memorial stone, a reminder of the past, stands 1,107 metres away. On site, you can listen to an audio story about Colditz Castle in the Outdoor Pitstop app. The story lasts 2 minutes and tells you more about this place. You can start the audio clip right on location while you walk around.
The nearest pitstop of each kind within 1 km, as the crow flies. No bike pump or honesty box within 1 km.
Colditz Castle has a renaissance architectural style.
The nearest public toilet is 389 metres away, on Schulstraße.
Yes, there are 19 benches within a 500-metre radius, and the nearest is 19 metres away.
The nearest drinking water tap is 676 metres away, at Friedhof Colditz.
You can visit a museum and, on guided tours, see tunnels dug by prisoners.
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