Dresden - Münchener Platz

In an existing courthouse at Münchener Platz in Dresden, the Nazi People’s Court (Volksgerichtshof) had a seat. People’s Court existed parallel with the ordinary judicial system and were located all over Germany. Its main task was to handle political cases such as high treason. The reason why the ordinary courts were not allowed to take on cases of ”tougher” political nature was because Hitler wanted to ensure a verdict in line with his own view. Münchener Platz became a central place for executions which covered a larger region, including local courts in Prague and Posen. The death sentences that were issued before these courts sent those sentenced to Münchener Platz for execution. The death penalty was not always carried out immediately, but the convicted were locked into prison cells awaiting execution. About 1,300 people were executed between 1933 and 1945. Between 1945 and 1956, the Soviet Union and later East Germany used the Münchener Platz for trials and executions.