1 Mark Torgau; PoW Camp

Torgau's officer prisoner-of-war camp operated under the fortress complex at Fort Zinna during the First World War, housing captured Allied officers under the terms of the Hague Convention, which mandated that officers not be compelled to labor. With no work to occupy them and no access to civilian commerce, camp administrations across Germany issued their own internal currency — Lagergeld — to allow canteen purchases and settle debts between prisoners without German Reichsmark circulating inside the wire.

Fort Zinna had a notably difficult reputation among PoW camps, associated with harsh conditions and repeated escape attempts. This note circulated in that specific atmosphere.