Editing Colditz Castle (section)

== Periods of reconstruction and changes in use==

During 1504, the servant Clemens the baker accidentally set Colditz afire, and the town hall, church, castle and a large part of the town was burned. During 1506, reconstruction began and new buildings were erected around the rear castle courtyard. During 1523, the castle park was converted into one of the largest [[zoo]]s in Europe. During 1524, rebuilding of the upper floors of the castle began. The castle was reconstructed in a fashion that corresponded to the way it was divided-— into the cellar, the royal house and the banqueting hall building. There is nothing more to be seen of the original castle, where the present rear of the castle is located, but it is still possible to discern where the original divisions were (the Old or Lower House, the Upper House and the Great House).

The structure of the castle was changed during the long reign of the [[Prince-elector|Elector]] [[Augustus, Elector of Saxony|Augustus of Saxony]] (1553–86), and the complex was reconstructed into a [[Renaissance architecture|Renaissance style]] castle from 1577 to 1591, including the portions that were still in the [[Gothic architecture|gothic architectural]] style. Architects {{Interlanguage link multi|Hans Irmisch|de}} and Peter Kummer supervised further restoration and rebuilding. Later, [[Lucas Cranach the Younger]] was commissioned as an artist in the castle.

During this period the portal at what is known as the church house was created during 1584, made of ''Rochlitz Porphyr'' ([[Tuff#Rhyolitic tuff|rhyolite tuff]]) and richly decorated in the [[Mannerism|mannerist]] style by Andreas Walther II. This [[dimension stone]] has been in use in architecture for more than 1,000 years. It was at this time that both the interior and the exterior of "the Holy Trinity" [[castle chapel]] that links the cellar and electors' house with one another were redesigned. Soon thereafter the castle became an administrative office for the Office of Colditz and a [[Jagdschloss|hunting lodge]]. During 1694, its then-current owner, King [[Augustus II of Poland|Augustus the Strong]] of Poland, began to expand it, resulting in a second courtyard and a total of 700 rooms.

During the 19th century, the church space was rebuilt in the [[Neoclassicism|neo-classic architectural]] style, but its condition was allowed to deteriorate. The castle was used by [[Frederick Augustus III, Elector of Saxony]] as a workhouse to feed the poor, the ill, and persons who had been arrested. It served this purpose from 1803 to 1829, when its workhouse function was assumed by an institution in [[Zwickau]]. During 1829, the castle became a [[mental hospital]] for the "incurably insane" from [[Waldheim, Saxony|Waldheim]]. During 1864, a new hospital building was erected in the [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival style]], on the ground where the [[stable]]s and working quarters had been previously located. It remained a mental institution until 1924.

From 1829 to 1924, Colditz was a [[sanatorium]], generally reserved for the wealthy and the nobility of Germany. The castle thus functioned as a hospital during a long period of massive change in Germany, from slightly after the [[Napoleonic Wars]] destroyed the [[Holy Roman Empire]] and created the [[German Confederation]], throughout the lifespan of the [[North German Confederation]], the complete reign of the [[German Empire]], throughout the [[First World War]], and until the beginnings of the [[Weimar Republic]]. Between 1914 and 1918, the castle was home to both psychiatric and [[tuberculosis]] patients, 912 of whom died of [[malnutrition]]. The castle was home to several notable figures during its time as a mental institution, including Ludwig Schumann, the second youngest son of the composer [[Robert Schumann]], and {{Interlanguage link multi|Ernst Baumgarten|de|3=Georg Baumgarten (Luftschiffpionier)}}, one of the inventors of the [[airship]].

When the [[Nazism|Nazis]] gained power during 1933, they converted the castle into a political prison for [[Communism|communists]], [[homosexuality|homosexuals]], [[Jew]]s and other people they considered undesirable. Starting 1939,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/Kriegsgefangenenlager/Offizierslager-R.htm|title=Oflags|website=www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de|access-date=8 April 2018}}</ref> [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] prisoners were housed there.