Olag IV C

So this evening we are in Dresden, eventually. I had planned on getting here late afternoon and thought I would get some good shots around the city in the evening sun. Unfortunately however we have spent the best part of 6 hours in a traffic jam as a result of flash floods so we arrived late to our hotel and we missed dinner too.

Earlier we broke up our journey by visiting Olag IV C or Colditz as it is better known.
The castle is now a youth hostel and museum but during the second world war it was a prison for allied officers who had escaped from other camps. It was supposed to be impossible to escape from Colditz but at least 30 successful escapes were made from around 300 attempts. There were lots of examples to read in the museum and it is worth reading up on some of them, like the Colditz Cock, which is not what you might think.

Prior to its use as a prison it had been a psychiatric hospital that had played a dark part in the T4 euthanasia program and there was a very fitting and moving memorial to the 84 people who died there.

I have only one picture to share today which is looking up through one of the arches into the courtyard and it is easy to forget the dramatic history when you look at the beautiful architecture. I'm glad we got to stop off here because the castle was well worth a visit and the slice of cake from one of the bakeries in the town square was an added bonus.