Königstein is a town in Saxony with a population of almost 2100. It's in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains and on the banks of the River Biela. The town was first mentioned in 1379 as a settlement near the castle of Königstein. It was named after the King of Bohemia.
During the Second World War, the castle was prisoner-of-war camp Oflag IV-B for Allied officers. Polish officers were imprisoned there after the Invasion of Poland in 1939. The officers were granted relative freedom and had a part of the fortress gardens at their disposal. All Polish army commanders were held there with the exception of two - Generał dywizji Antoni Szylling and General Tadeusz Piskor. Szylling, after being freed by the Americans in 1945 decided not to return to Poland because of Soviet Russia and instead emigrated to France, then the United Kingdom, and finally to Canada in 1947. He lived on a farm at Abercorn, near Montreal. Piskor ended up emigrating to London but died in 1951.
After the fall of France, the Polish officers were moved to Oflag VIIA Murnau or Oflag VIII E. Johannisbrunn, and French officers were housed at the Königstein castle. Although one French general said the prison was "not particularly onerous" and "adequate by European prison standards," and there was inadequate but regular rations, and cigarettes for purchase. However, they did find Germany bugs in their rooms, and discovered a prisoner they thought was an English general was actually a German agent. The camp was surrendered to French General
Condé on 8 May 1945. Russians arrived the next day and took anything of value and the German guards. All the prisoners were flown back to Paris on 12 May 1945.
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