Imagine a courtroom. Dark wood. A judge in a black robe. Yet what takes place here has nothing to do with justice. Welcome to the People’s Court—a place where the law was perverted to spread fear and death.
The People’s Court was established in 1934. The National Socialists intended it as a means to eliminate their opponents—not through fair trials, but through intimidation and swift verdicts. Anyone who opposed the Nazi regime could be indicted here—often without any genuine evidence. The verdict? Usually a foregone conclusion: imprisonment or death.
The seat of the People’s Court was initially located in the Prussian State Parliament building, and later here at Bellevuestraße 3, in a former secondary school. By the end of the war, it was housed in the Kammergericht—vast, imposing, and intimidating. Many trials that are now known worldwide took place here—for instance, the proceedings against the young resistance group “The White Rose,” or against the men and women who attempted to assassinate Hitler on July 20, 1944.
Its most notorious judge was Roland Freisler—loud, aggressive, and merciless. He would scream at defendants, refuse to let them finish speaking, and publicly humiliate them before the entire court. Many wept; some remained silent. Freisler had no interest in establishing the truth of what had occurred—his sole objective was to destroy. Under his direction, more than 2,600 people were sentenced to death.
However, the People’s Court was not active solely in Berlin; trials were also held in Munich, Stuttgart, Vienna, Dresden, and other cities. So-called “flying senates” traveled across the country, deploying wherever resistance began to emerge. And they struck—swiftly, ruthlessly, and often with lethal force. Executions typically took place at Plötzensee Prison in Berlin; those sentenced were transported there immediately following their trials. Many met their end by the guillotine. Their final words remain largely unknown to this day. His verdicts were part of a system—designed to spread fear and ensure obedience.
In February 1945, shortly before the end of the war, Roland Freisler died during an air raid. A bomb struck the courtroom during a trial.
Today, only
a commemorative plaque marks this site. It serves as a reminder of how easily justice can turn into injustice. And of how vital it is to stand up for justice and humanity—always and everywhere.
Image 1: Original work
Image 2: Original work
Image 3: By Bundesarchiv, Image 183-C0718-0052-001 / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5361193
Image 4: By Bundesarchiv, Image 151-39-21 / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5337798
Image 5: By Bundesarchiv, B 145 Bild-P054489 / Weinrother, Carl / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5474891
