Overview
- The new Strafjustizzentrum, inaugurated Monday in Munich by Bavarian leaders, was presented as an open yet secure hub for criminal courts and prosecutors.
- The complex unites the district court, two regional courts, the higher regional court, and both Munich prosecutors under one roof with 54 courtrooms, about 1,300 workstations, secure separate routes for detainees, and energy-saving systems like rooftop solar and heat pumps.
- Following years of construction problems that are now fixed, including mold and an undersized garage entrance for prisoner vans, the building is cleared for use.
- Operations are due to ramp up at the end of June in what officials call one of Germany’s biggest moves, with roughly 300,000 boxes hauled in about 1,500 truckloads.
- Hearings are scheduled to begin in early July, including the ongoing Reichsbürger case in the 280-square-meter main criminal courtroom, after delays and cost growth to about €432–434 million driven by contaminated soil, wartime ordnance, procurement disputes, and pandemic- and war-related supply snags.