Kammergericht
Encyclopedia
The Kammergericht is the Oberlandesgericht
for the state of Berlin
. Its name differs from Germany
's other state courts for historic reasons. There are no other courts called Kammergericht in Germany.
, when it adjudicated in the chambers of the prince-elector
s. As the supreme court
of Prussia
it was since 1735 based at the Baroque
Collegienhaus in the present-day Kreuzberg
district. The Kammergericht housed the supreme courts and judges of the different territories ruled in personal union
by the royal House of Hohenzollern
, without formally merging the different juridical systems. By this concentration in one locality the later unification of the juridical systems was prepared. The Collegienhaus is today part of the Jewish Museum Berlin
.
After the establishment of the Oberlandesgerichte by the German Empire
in 1877, the Kammergericht kept its name. It moved to its present location in a newly erected building at the Kleistpark in Schöneberg
in 1913. In August 1944 the Kammergericht was the site of the show trial
conducted by the Volksgerichtshof under Roland Freisler
against the surviving conspirators of the 20 July plot. A few months later the court had to leave the building and cede it to the Allied Control Council
. Here the Four Power Agreement on Berlin
was signed on 3 September 1971. The Kammergericht was based at the former Reichskriegsgericht
in Charlottenburg
until it moved back to its former location in 1997.
The Kammergericht building is also the seat of the constitutional court of Berlin (Verfassungsgerichtshof) and the state's district attorney
(Generalstaatsanwalt).
Oberlandesgericht
The Oberlandesgericht is one of the 'ordinary courts' in Germany...
for the state of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. Its name differs from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's other state courts for historic reasons. There are no other courts called Kammergericht in Germany.
Overview
A Kammergericht was first mentioned in 1468 as the ducal court of the Margraviate of BrandenburgMargraviate of Brandenburg
The Margraviate of Brandenburg was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806. Also known as the March of Brandenburg , it played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe....
, when it adjudicated in the chambers of the prince-elector
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
s. As the supreme court
Supreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...
of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
it was since 1735 based at the Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
Collegienhaus in the present-day Kreuzberg
Kreuzberg
Kreuzberg, a part of the combined Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough located south of Mitte since 2001, is one of the best-known areas of Berlin...
district. The Kammergericht housed the supreme courts and judges of the different territories ruled in personal union
Personal union
A personal union is the combination by which two or more different states have the same monarch while their boundaries, their laws and their interests remain distinct. It should not be confused with a federation which is internationally considered a single state...
by the royal House of Hohenzollern
House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern is a noble family and royal dynasty of electors, kings and emperors of Prussia, Germany and Romania. It originated in the area around the town of Hechingen in Swabia during the 11th century. They took their name from their ancestral home, the Burg Hohenzollern castle near...
, without formally merging the different juridical systems. By this concentration in one locality the later unification of the juridical systems was prepared. The Collegienhaus is today part of the Jewish Museum Berlin
Jewish Museum Berlin
The Jewish Museum Berlin , in Berlin, Germany, covers two millennia of German Jewish history. It consists of two buildings. One is the old Kollegienhaus, a former courthouse, built in the 18th century. The other, a new addition specifically built for the museum, designed by world-renowned architect...
.
After the establishment of the Oberlandesgerichte by the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
in 1877, the Kammergericht kept its name. It moved to its present location in a newly erected building at the Kleistpark in Schöneberg
Schöneberg
Schöneberg is a locality of Berlin, Germany. Until Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it was a separate borough including the locality of Friedenau. Together with the former borough of Tempelhof it is now part of the new borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg....
in 1913. In August 1944 the Kammergericht was the site of the show trial
Show trial
The term show trial is a pejorative description of a type of highly public trial in which there is a strong connotation that the judicial authorities have already determined the guilt of the defendant. The actual trial has as its only goal to present the accusation and the verdict to the public as...
conducted by the Volksgerichtshof under Roland Freisler
Roland Freisler
Roland Freisler was a prominent and notorious Nazi lawyer and judge. He was State Secretary of the Reich Ministry of Justice and President of the People's Court , which was set up outside constitutional authority...
against the surviving conspirators of the 20 July plot. A few months later the court had to leave the building and cede it to the Allied Control Council
Allied Control Council
The Allied Control Council or Allied Control Authority, known in the German language as the Alliierter Kontrollrat and also referred to as the Four Powers , was a military occupation governing body of the Allied Occupation Zones in Germany after the end of World War II in Europe...
. Here the Four Power Agreement on Berlin
Four Power Agreement on Berlin
The Four Power Agreement on Berlin also known as the Berlin Agreement or the Quadripartite Agreement on Berlin was agreed on 3 September 1971 by the four wartime allied powers, represented by their Ambassadors...
was signed on 3 September 1971. The Kammergericht was based at the former Reichskriegsgericht
German military law
-History:In 1900 the German Empire established a single jurisdiction to try soldiers, with the Reichsmilitärgericht as the supreme court. During the First World War, German military law enabled military courts to try not only soldiers but also civilians held to have violated the military law...
in Charlottenburg
Charlottenburg
Charlottenburg is a locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, named after Queen consort Sophia Charlotte...
until it moved back to its former location in 1997.
The Kammergericht building is also the seat of the constitutional court of Berlin (Verfassungsgerichtshof) and the state's district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
(Generalstaatsanwalt).
Notable members
- Samuel von Cocceji, president 1723-1738
- Julius Eduard HitzigJulius Eduard HitzigJulius Eduard Hitzig was a German author and civil servant.Born into the wealthy and influential Jewish Itzig family, he was between 1799 and 1806 a Prussian civil servant, became Criminal Counsel at the Berlin Supreme Court in 1815 and its director in 1825...
- E.T.A. HoffmannE.T.A. HoffmannErnst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann , better known by his pen name E.T.A. Hoffmann , was a German Romantic author of fantasy and horror, a jurist, composer, music critic, draftsman and caricaturist...
- Wilhelm Heinrich WackenroderWilhelm Heinrich WackenroderWilhelm Heinrich Wackenroder was a German jurist and writer. With Ludwig Tieck, he was a co-founder of German Romanticism....