The Great Escape (P.O.W. Camps Museum)

Itinerary: We visit the place related to one of the most famous episodes during World War II – the spectacular escape of 80 prisoners from Stalag Luft III, one of the Nazi P.O.W camps in Zagan (a town located approx. 150 km west from Wroclaw). It was filmed in the movie “ The Great Escape” (USA, 1963 starring Steve McQueen, James Garner and Richard Attenborough). In 1988 “The Great Escape II” with Christopher Reeves was filmed too. The Nazis built a chain of P.O.W. camps in Zagan and its vicinity, where the prisoners of 30 nationalities were grouped, amounting to over 300 thousand. One of the branches was Stalag Luft III for the Allied pilots, controlled directly by the High Command of Luftwaffe. It was became famous for the several escape attempts. The most daring plan was undertaken in 1943, when 200 prisoners started working on 3 underground tunnels, named Harry, Tom and Dick, equipped with underground railways, workshops and air pumping stations. Finally at night of 24 March 1944 eighty prisoners escaped through the Harry tunnel (111-meter long and 10 meters deep). After the escape was revealed 73 were captured by the Nazis. Only 3 of them reached their home in Great Britain. During the tour we visit the Allied P.O.W. Camps Museum in Zagan : we see the exhibition about the history of the camps and prisoners’ life, the ground of Stalag Luft III and the memorial of the Great Escape.
Duration: 7 h
Entrance fee: Museum
photos: Muzeum Obozow Jenieckich / POW Camps Museum