Nuremberg Palace of Justice
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Nuremberg Palace of Justice (germ. Justizpalast) is a building complex at Fürtherstrasse 22 in Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany which is most famous for being the location of the famous Nuremberg Trials that were held after the Second World War for the "henchmen" of Adolf Hitler, between 1945 and 1949 for those who were still presumed to be alive. Among the infamous ones who made the appearance were Hermann Göring, Rudolf Hess, Franz von Papen (Vice-Chancellor under Hitler, acquitted), Arthur Seyss-Inquart (Austrian Chancellor, Nazi Commissioner, hanged) and Joachim von Ribbentrop (Foreign Minister, hanged). It is a commonly known fact that Göring was not hanged as planned, but instead committed suicide by taking a cyanide pill smuggled into his cell. He was later quoted in his suicide notes that "being hanged is not appropriate for a man of [his] status".
The trials took place in courtroom number 600, situated in the eastern wing of the Palace of Justice. The courtroom is still used, especially for murder trials. Since the end of the Nuremberg Trials the courtroom was refurbished and is now a bit smaller as a wall that had been removed during the trials in order to create more space was re-erected. In addition, the judges´ bench was turned 90 degrees and is no longer situated in front of the window but now stands where the witness box was placed during the trials.
The Palace of Justice was chosen as the site of the trials because it was almost undamaged, offered a lot of space and accessed a prison. In addition, the Americans opted for Nuremberg as it was situated in their zone.
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