History of International Significance.

Wednesday 11th September 2024. Make your bed Day.

Riesa to Torgau – 51km.

It was a fairly light day on the cycling. You may have noticed by the photos that the sun has now deserted me. It was however very ‘vindy’ as they say around here.

Today is my 15th cycling day in a row….that is a record for me but, no, it’s not of international historical significance. What is though is aptly shown by this photo….

The meeting of American and Russian troops on the Elbe on 25th April 1945. The war in Europe officially ended around three weeks later but this meeting was symbolic of victory.

This occasion was only a tiny part of the history of Torgau. It’s important….so I will try and get the information straight.

The older part of the towns history begins with its Schloss. It was the home of the Elector of the region for many centuries. It had been conquered in the 30 years war against Sweden, held out in the 7 Years War against Prussia and been a war prison for Napoleon around 1810.

The most significant act of its history was however decided by Elector Johann Frederick in 1544 when he commissioned a Castle Chapel for the new Protestant religion of Martin Luther. It was the first Protestant Chapel in the World.

Martin Luther’s wife Katherine died in Torgau and is buried in a nearby church. In many ways Torgau, along with Wittenberg, is the cradle of Protestant worship and the beginning of what is called the Reformation.

Irrespective of this history the Schloss is spectacular….

To enter the Schloss you walk through a gate and over a ditch bridge….

In the ditch is a bear pit….with two bears.

Much of the Schloss was free but I had time on my hands and therefore paid the 5 euros to see three exhibitions. One was about the Schloss history, one was about the German film of Sleeping Beauty that was filmed here and the third was about Torgau’s use as a political prison.

The third exhibition was particularly interesting (in a disturbing way).

I was taken to the exhibition by a young man who was from Munich and he was more interested in my football team than the town history. I told him I was a Burnley fan and I knew Vincent Company (who moved from Burnley manager to Bayern Munich). He was impressed….I think? He provided me with an audio guide in English. The exhibition was small in size but I spent a couple of hours listening and looking at all the exhibits.

The Nazi’s used Fort Zinna as a Military Prison. It was not near the Schloss but just outside the town walls. They used it for anyone who objected in any way to the Nazi doctrine or for any soldiers who deserted. The stories were horrendous. There was a sham process of justice with severe punishments and executions without investigation and with wide discretion to the ‘judges’! It is believed that everyone in the town knew what was happening but were not allowed to object without the fear of terrible retributions.

After the war Torgau was settled within East Germany and within the complicit control or influence of Communist Russia. Guess what? The East German authorities used Zinna as a Political Prison! They incarcerated many middle and low ranking Nazi’s (the higher ranks escaped just before the end). They also imprisoned anyone else who didn’t accept the new regime. Again, it was brutal and without justice. The prison was used in this way right up till 1990! The East German government would accept the release of prisoners to the West only in return for large cash payments! The prison was run on the basis that if compliance was breached then ‘all’ prisoners would be punished and brutality between prisoners was encouraged.

The personal stories were shocking. I had an opportunity to write in the visitor book. I wrote…”It’s terrible what power, dogma and authority can make people do to others”! I was quite shaken.

Later, I felt that I should visit the site of Fort Zinna. I cycled out of town.

Unsurprisingly, the site is still being used as a prison. Hopefully a little more in line with true justice! Dont get me wrong, I’m not a mamby pamby person. I absolutely believe in the need to put people in prisons for good reasons.

Today’s blog is a bit mixed emotionally. To finish on a brighter note….the town has a nice centre.

On balance I found the town very interesting and the people I came across were all helpful. I also visited the Town Museum and whilst it was very quiet a lady volunteer (a simlilar age to me and with very little English) followed me around telling me interesting things in German. The displays included old toys and old lifestyle products that would have been from the era of her (and my) youth. She conveyed to me that despite it being a Communist period with limited possessions, she had a happy childhood. It was nice to know.

I will now complete the blog and get on with ‘making my own bed’!