As of April 2016[update], the Waldheim penal institution held 373 men (aged 21–80) out of a capacity of almost 400.

[2] Founded by Augustus II the Strong, elector of Saxony, the prison was initially focused on welfare and rehabilitation and housed beggars, highwaymen, and criminals (with the latter only accounting for 20% of inmates).

A model for other such institutions, by the turn of the 19th century, envoys traveled from other European states to see the prison.

[1] Waldheim was used to hold political prisoners: before World War II, for the Nazi Party, and the East German state.

In April 2016, a ceremony was held to celebrate the building's 300th anniversary, the oldest German prison still in use.