The Memorium Nuremberg Trials is an information and documentation centre located in the very building where world history was written. It was here, in the historic Courtroom 600 of the Nuremberg Palace of Justice, that the main war criminals of the Nazi regime stood before the International Military Tribunal from 20 November 1945 to 1 October 1946.
For Nuremberg, this place holds special significance. It was this very city, which the Nazis had turned into a symbol of their propaganda rallies, that became the place where justice was served upon them. As Nuremberg`s Lord Mayor Ulrich Maly emphasised at the museum`s opening: "This is a unique place; world history was written here."
History of the site: why Nuremberg?
Many people think that Nuremberg was chosen for the tribunal because of its symbolic role during the Third Reich – it was here that the famous Nazi Party Rallies took place. However, this is only partly true. In reality, there were much more prosaic reasons for the choice.
The Nuremberg Palace of Justice, built between 1909 and 1916 to the design of architect Paul Pfann, had suffered almost no damage from the bombings. It was large enough to accommodate all the participants from the four Allied nations (the Soviet Union, the USA, Great Britain and France), and a prison adjoined the building where the defendants could be held.
The Palace of Justice: the building where history was made
The Palace of Justice remains a working court complex to this day. It houses the Higher Regional Court (Oberlandesgericht), the Local Court (Amtsgericht), the Jury Court (Landgericht) and the public prosecutor`s office. This imposes certain restrictions on visiting the museum – Courtroom 600 is only accessible to tourists on days when there are no court hearings.
Architecture of Courtroom 600: what it was like and what it has become
When the question of holding the International Military Tribunal arose, Courtroom 600 had to be urgently reconstructed. The work was entrusted to the architect Daniel Urban Kiley, who was serving in the Office of Strategic Services (the forerunner of the CIA).
Kiley, who today is primarily known as the "father of modernist landscape design in the United States", was then Head of the Design Section at the Office of Strategic Services. His original 1945 drawings, held in the archives of the Harvard Graduate School of Design, remain the main source of information on what the courtroom looked like during the historic trial.
For the trial, the courtroom was significantly enlarged: one wall was removed, making space for the benches for the defendants, lawyers, judges, interpreters and numerous journalists. The impression was of a theatre hall where the main drama of the 20th century was unfolding.
Changes after the trial: what the courtroom looks like today
After the Nuremberg Trials ended, the courtroom was remodelled. The wall that had been removed for the tribunal was rebuilt – making the courtroom smaller. The judges` bench was rotated 90 degrees and now stands not in front of the window but where the witness stand had been during the trial.
Despite all the alterations, some original elements have been preserved in the courtroom. Two of the benches on which the defendants sat have survived to this day. The special lift that was used to bring the main defendants to the hearings has also been preserved. This lift still has three separate compartments for the defendants.
The Nuremberg Trial: the great trial of the 20th century
The International Military Tribunal lasted from 20 November 1945 to 1 October 1946. On the defendants` bench sat 21 senior leaders of the Third Reich. Among them were Hermann Göring (Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe), Rudolf Hess, Joachim von Ribbentrop (Minister of Foreign Affairs), Wilhelm Keitel (Chief of the High Command of the Wehrmacht), Ernst Kaltenbrunner (Head of the Reich Main Security Office), Alfred Jodl (Chief of the Operations Staff of the Wehrmacht High Command), and others.
During the trial, testimony was heard from 280 witnesses – both victims of Nazi crimes and the perpetrators themselves. Thanks to the work of 350 interpreters, all documents and minutes have been preserved in four languages – German, English, Russian and French.
Among those who attended the tribunal`s hearings were famous writers: the German writer Erich Kästner, the American novelist John Steinbeck, and the Soviet writer Ilya Ehrenburg. The future Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Willy Brandt, came to Nuremberg as a correspondent for a Scandinavian newspaper.
The verdict of the trial
The tribunal delivered the following verdicts: 12 defendants were sentenced to death by hanging, three received life imprisonment, four received long prison terms, and three were acquitted.
Hermann Göring, the Reichsmarschall and second man in the Nazi hierarchy, committed suicide by taking a cyanide capsule in his cell just hours before his scheduled execution.
The significance of this trial cannot be overstated. It not only punished the main Nazi criminals but also laid the foundation for the development of modern international criminal law. The principles established in Nuremberg became the basis for subsequent international tribunals – for the former Yugoslavia, for Rwanda, and ultimately for the creation of the International Criminal Court.
The Memorium Nuremberg Trials today: what you can see
The Memorium is located on the upper floor of the Palace of Justice. The museum was opened on 22 November 2010 – exactly 65 years after the start of the Nuremberg Trial.
The exhibition includes:
• Documents and photographs: numerous materials related to the historic trial, testifying to its influence on modern international law.
• Biographies of the defendants and their crimes: detailed information about the main figures of the trial.
• Film and audio recordings: unique materials that allow you to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of that time.
• Information on the subsequent trials from 1946 to 1949: the Nuremberg Trial was only the first of twelve trials of Nazi criminals.
• Over four million euros were spent on creating the museum – half of the sum was provided by the Bavarian state government, the other half by the German federal government.
The "Time Travel: Courtroom 600" installation
One of the most interesting exhibits in the Memorium Nuremberg Trials is the multimedia installation "Zeitreise Saal 600 | Courtroom 600: Time Travel". It combines original footage from the Nuremberg Trial with a digital reconstruction of the courtroom, allowing you to travel back almost 80 years and see the courtroom as it was at the time of those historic events.
The special lift and the prison tunnel
The building still contains the lift in which the defendants were brought to the hearings. It still has three separate compartments for the defendants. In this lift, you can descend to the tunnel that leads to the adjacent prison where the 21 defendants were held under high security. From the memorial`s windows, you can see this prison – a reminder of how close the courtroom and the place of detention were to each other.
Visiting Courtroom 600
Courtroom 600 is still used for court hearings. On days when hearings are held, entry is prohibited. It is recommended to check the current schedule on the museum`s official website.
The Memorium Nuremberg Trials is not just a museum. It is a place where you can see evidence of how, for the first time in its history, humanity said "no" to the impunity of the highest state leaders who waged aggressive war and committed crimes against humanity.
