The “Gerichtslaube” (Courtroom Gazebo) was first completed in 1270 along with the medieval Town Hall. The right of jurisdiction used to be a symbol of local sovereignty and self-confidence. In the Middle Ages, court houses, “Gerichtslaube”, had a public and almost cultic function. Punishment was extremely severe and cruel. For the pettiest of misdemeanours ears would be lopped off, teeth broken out or the eyes would be burned with glowing irons. Women were burned for procuration. The simple act of stealing a herring was sufficient to merit the gallows. A pillory was attached to the Gerichtslaube near the gallows. This pillory was located just outside the entrance where the memorial plaque is today. Delinquents would de chained to it and could then be stared at, ridiculed, spat upon and beaten by the general populace. It happened that in the month of “Avgustus Anno Domini 1482“ a man died on the pillory of the Gerichtslaube after he had been violently kicked and beaten and then forgotten about. In the year 1446 a man was taken to the gallows simply for stealing the cash-box from a pub and then left hanging for days as a spectacle. So be careful, my friends, not to steal the cash-box from the pub! On “The Tenth Day of Avgustus Anno Domini 1380 ”, the town was set on fire by the Knight Erich Valke von der Lietzenitz auf Saarmund who had a long standing feud with Berlin. Only six houses in Klosterstrasse survived that most disastrous fire in Berlin’s early history; among those surviving was the Gerichtslaube. Bailiffs searched for Valke for many years and eventually captured and beheaded him in 1390. He was so deeply hated throughout Berlin that even his corpse was taken to the courtroom in the Gerichtslaube for judgement, where his severed head was to be seen during the proceedings, impaled on a spike in the upper left window. Legal practice changed in the course of time, and so did the shape and function of the Gerichtslaube, though its architectural identity was largely preserved. All in all the Gerichtslaube was reconstructed three times and relocated twice. It is fair to claim today that the Gerichtslaube is one of the earliest surviving structures of Berlin. With that the Gerichtslaube offers you a historic setting for your family or company party. The “Ratsherrenstube” (men’s council room) with its cross-shaped vault or the smaller “Berlin Salon” on the upper floor add an impressive background to your festive occasion. It only remains for us to wish you a pleasant stay in our lovely restaurant. -Guten Appetit- bei Speise und Trank! Your Team at Gerichtslaube © 2011 Restaurant Gerichtslaube · Poststr. 28 · 10178 Berlin