During the last days of Colditz , many of its prominent or high-ranking prisoners were transferred to Laufen by order of Himmler . But in April 1945 , U.S. troops entered the town of Colditz and , after a two-day fight , captured the castle on April 15 , 1945 . In May 1945 , the Soviet occupation of Colditz began . According to the agreement at the Yalta Conference it became a part of East Germany . The Soviets turned Colditz Castle into a prison camp for local burglars and non-communists . Later , the castle was a home for the aged and nursing home , as well as a hospital and psychiatric clinic . For many years after the war , forgotten hiding places and tunnels were found by repairmen , including a radio room established by the French POWs , which was then " lost " again only to be re-discovered some twenty years later
Yalta Conference
Yalta Conference
Colditz Castle