castle week: saxony or hogan’s heroes

The German mint has been issuing commemorate two-euro coins that feature the iconic architecture associated with each of the 19 states (Länder).

Each time I get one of these coins in the set as change, I think about the repre- sentatives. I don’t disagree with the selections of the continuing series, by any means, but there are certainly some other fine candidates out there that I’ve been fortunate enough to visit. One recent trip took us to medieval Burg Kriebstein by the town of Waldheim in the mid-west part of the state. This stronghold, dating from the 14th century, is remarkably well-preserved and has an equally noteworthy way of presenting a fairy-tale unified front, though closer study of the façade reveals different design elements and modifications through the ensuing ages.

This and other strategically located castes commanded the waterways of this region. Another alternative is the Renaissance fortification anchoring, dominating the village of Colditz, not far away by Leipzig. This building too has seen many different incarnations through the years from a residence of prince-electors and king-makers, to a premier zoo, to a debtors’ prison and workhouse, to a mental institution and perhaps most infamously as a prisoner of war camp for problematic Allied captives. There, SGT Kinchloe did not, however, have a radio in the coffee kettle—that Stalag was set in the Bavarian town of Hammelburg.