Chamber 600 of the German city court of Nuremberg may be the most famous in the world, with a century of judicial history in Germany that resonates between the folds of its paneled walls, but this chapter of history now authorizes the closing of its pages.
After the court finally examined its last case, it has now turned into a museum, as part of Nuremberg's memory of war criminals trials, which took place in 1945, when World War II closed its gates.
Senior Leaders Trials
The trials of senior Nazi leaders were held in this courtroom in Bavaria, including Hermann Göring, the commander of the air force and founder of the Secret Service "Gestapo", Hitler's deputy Rudolf Hess, Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, Admiral Karl Donets, commander of the Navy and Hitler's successor for a short time After his suicide.
Twenty-four of the most important leaders of the Nazis, the Third Reich, military and politicians were placed inside the dock of the Nuremberg Court on November 20, 1945, and American engineers built a dock specially prepared for these trials, and it was reported that the seats were designed in such a way that the defendants were upset whenever they sat at length.
The "International Military Tribunal" was specially formed for the Nuremberg trials, and judges from the four allied countries in the war issued rulings convicting 12 Nazi leaders.
However, unlike this military court, the Nuremberg Court rendered rulings under four different forms of government, and few are the world’s courts that have witnessed such a diversity of political and judicial systems.
Opening
The King of Bavaria, Ludwig II, opened the court in 1916, and was used as a jury room during the Weimar Republic, and in 1925 in a case that became famous, Adolf Hitler was called as a witness in a libel case, after Nuremberg Mayor Hermann Loebe filed a lawsuit against Julius Streicher , Publisher of the popular anti-Semitic The Stormer newspaper.
The Nazi regime later used the court for its purposes, as one of the 70 special courts in which political opponents were convicted.
At the time, the 600th court room was famous for its harsh rulings, in which 80 death sentences were issued, and the president of the court, Oswald Ruthaug, was described as a "swordfish", and he also issued a death sentence for a Polish man who was forcibly employed, describing it as occupying a lower position Ethnically, he also subsequently sentenced an elderly Jew to death for defying "racial purity" laws.
Days pass, and Judge Ruthaug represents himself for trial in the same room No. 600, in 1947, in the framework of the Nuremberg trials, and he was sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of crimes against humanity, and his trial case became famous after it was circulated by an American film, produced in 1962, under The name "Account in Nuremberg".
The memories of this film were kept in mind. For example, an elderly woman asked during a tour of the courtroom: "Where did the actor Spencer Tracy sit?", And Tracy played the judge, Dan Haywood, in one of the many films that circulated around room 600.
Ordinary issues
After the trial of war criminals, the court used to hear cases related to ordinary criminals, who were charged with murder and rape under the judicial system of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The court room extends over an area of 246 square meters, the size of two spacious apartments, and its ceiling height is 6.7 meters, which exceeds the height of any gymnasium, but after the two units of the two parts of Germany are no longer very similar to the famous room for the trials in 1945.
Despite more renovations in the 1960s, and despite numerous attempts to modernize it, Chamber 600 did not become a modern courtroom.
Court presiding judge Barbara Richter Zenerger says she has mixed feelings about Chamber 600, and indicates that her general view, including the courtroom between judges, is unique.
On the other hand, she adds, the historic court room raises feelings of dread, which is a shame, and says that "the room affects some witnesses," while the accused who stand inside the cage feel that the room is frightening and severely affects their psychological state.
All judgments handed down in Chamber 600, both fair and unjust, will be perpetuated both within a museum, and politicians hope that one day this museum will become a World Heritage Site.
Another issue
The last case that Judge, Richter Zenerger, looked at in room 600, before turning into a museum, was the trial of a man accused of trying to kill his wife, a brutal crime, although it is hidden when compared to the trials that put this court in its place that he mentions Date.
The king of Bavaria, Ludwig II, opened the court in 1916, and was used as a jury room during the Weimar Republic, and in 1925 in a case that became famous, Adolf Hitler was called as a witness in a slander case, after Nuremberg Mayor Hermann Loebe filed a lawsuit against Julius Streicher, Publisher of the popular anti-Semitic newspaper, The Stormer.