Editing Colditz (section)

==History==
[[File:SCHLOSS COLDITZ1.jpg|thumb|left|Colditz Castle on the Mulde river]]
The first record of a [[burgward]] on the Mulde river, called ''Cholidistcha'', dates to the year 1046,<ref name="colditz.de">{{cite web
|url=http://www.colditz.de/seite/288899/geschichte.html|title= Geschichte|publisher=Stadt Colditz|access-date=9 March 2017}}</ref> when Emperor [[Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry III]] dedicated it to his consort [[Agnes of Poitou]]. The name is possibly of [[Polabian Slavs|Slavic]] origin.

In 1083, Henry's son and successor [[Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry IV]] recommended that his follower Count [[Wiprecht of Groitzsch]] build a castle on the cliff above the river. From 1158, under the rule of Emperor [[Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick Barbarossa]], the fortress became the residence of the noble [[:de:Colditz_(Adelsgeschlecht)|House of Colditz]], a dynasty of ''[[ministerialis|ministeriales]]'' in the Imperial [[Pleissnerland]] territory. In the 12th century, merchant houses were built around a marketplace below the castle and St. Nicholas' Church was built. In 1265, the Colditz citizens were granted [[German town law|town privileges]] by the ruler.

In 1243, the former Imperial estates were pledged to the [[House of Wettin|Wettin]] margrave [[Henry III, Margrave of Meissen|Henry III of Meissen]]. His grandson, Margrave [[Frederick I, Margrave of Meissen|Frederick I of Meissen]] occupied Colditz Castle in 1309. The whole lordship was finally incorporated into the [[Margravate of Meissen]] by 1404. Merged into the [[Electorate of Saxony]] from 1423, Colditz was held by Elector [[Ernest, Elector of Saxony|Ernest]] upon the 1485 [[Treaty of Leipzig]].

In 1504, the local baker accidentally set Colditz on fire, and the city hall, church, castle and a large part of the town went up in flames. In 1506, reconstruction began and new buildings were raised around the rear castle courtyard. After the defeat of Elector [[John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony|John Frederick I of Saxony]] in the [[Schmalkaldic War]] of 1546–47, the town passed to his cousin [[Maurice, Elector of Saxony|Maurice]]. His descendants continued to rebuild Colditz Castle as a hunting lodge. From 1602 to 1622, it served as the residence of Dowager Electress [[Sophie of Brandenburg|Sophie]], widow of Elector [[Christian I, Elector of Saxony|Christian I]].

In the 17th century, the cloth and linen manufacture developed. In the 18th century, clay from the Colditz area started to be used in the [[Meissen porcelain]] factory that was established in 1710 by Elector [[Augustus the Strong]]. In 1804 a ceramics factory was established in Colditz by Thomsberger & Hermann.

[[File:Allied Prisoners of War at Oflag Ivc, Colditz HU20269.jpg|thumb|left|Allied officers at Colditz Castle (1941)]]
In the [[Nazi Germany|Nazi]] era, Colditz Castle was temporarily used as a [[Nazi concentration camps|concentration camp]] by the [[Sturmabteilung|SA]] and as a ''[[Reichsarbeitsdienst]]'' camp. During the Second World War, the town did not suffer any damage. In 1940, the town became the headquarters of the German military district [[Wehrkreis IV]] for personnel guarding an ''[[Oflag]]'' POW camp for officers, when Oflag IV-C was established in the castle. It became widely known after the war, for both its notable inmates (''Prominente''), such as [[Giles Romilly]] or  [[George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood|George Lascelles]], and several escape attempts.

On 14{{nbsp}}April 1945, the U.S. Army entered the town and freed the prisoners. However, under agreements signed at the [[Yalta Conference]], the Americans withdrew and were replaced by [[Red Army|Soviet]] occupation forces late in June 1945. As a result, Colditz and the entire state of Saxony became part of [[East Germany]]. In 1958, the [[Volkseigener Betrieb|publicly owned]] porcelain factory was established. It produced a major part of the dishes used by [[Mitropa]], as evident by the manufacturer's logo "cp". Both the porcelain and chamotte industries went into decline after 1990.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.zweimuldenland.de/weissesgold/Das-weisse-Gold.html | title = Das weisse Gold | publisher =  Tourist-Information Colditz | date = 15 May 2012}}</ref>

Since [[German reunification]] in 1990, efforts have been made to increase visits by tourists. The castle was restored and has become a much visited museum.<ref>[http://www.schloss-colditz.com/index.php?langswitch=eng Visiting Colditz Castle]</ref> The great [[2002 European floods|flood of August 2002]] as well as the [[2013 European floods|flood of 2013]] caused some damage to the old town, but it has since been restored.