On January 30, 1945, the city of Nuremberg suffered an intense aerial bombardment by the US air force. In just one hour the city was devastated and few buildings were left intact. Located east of the historic district, the courthouse was one of those intact buildings.
It was customary in Germany to build courthouses with an adjoining jail for defendants who were to be tried in a few days. The Nuremberg courthouse was no exception. Thanks to this and because Nuremberg was considered the birthplace of the Nazi party, the victorious allies decided that it should also become the place of its total disappearance.
The main courthouse in the building must have been adequate to host such an important event. The allies changed the layout of the room to be able to house the international court, the defendants' gallery and also the large number of accredited journalists.
On November 20, the first Nuremberg trial began, where 24 high-ranking officials of the National Socialist regime were tried. The highest position was Hermann Goering, the number two of the regime. Others prosecuted in that same trial were Hitler's secretary until 1940 Rudolph Hess, Admiral Carl Dönitz, Hitler's personal friend and armament minister Albert Speer, the Wehrmacht chief of staff, Marshal Wilhelm Keitel or the former director of the magazine Der Sturmer Julius Streicher.
The defendants were charged with crimes against peace and crimes against humanity. The sentences were read individually on October 1, 1946. Those sentenced to prison terms were transferred to the Spandau prison in Berlin. Those sentenced to death were executed on October 16. The bodies were cremated and their ashes thrown into the Isar River.
How to get to the Nuremberg courthouse
The courthouse is located to the west of the historic center of the city. To get there we can take the metro line U1 to the Bärenschanze stop. . You can check the best route to get there in the following LINK.
Visit the site of the Nuremberg trials
The Nuremberg courthouse where the trials of Nazi leaders took place is still in use today. However, an extensive exhibition on the trials and everything related to the end of the Nazi party has been enabled. The room where the trial sessions were held is still in use, so it can only be visited when no proceedings are in progress. You can check the opening hours and ticket prices on the official website of the Nuremberg trials memorial.