A view of part of the prisoner's dock at the exhibition in the Memorium Nuremberg Trials

From November 1945 to October 1946, 24 representatives of the National Socialist state sat in the dock at the Nuremberg Trials for their crimes. For practical reasons, the Allies chose Room 600 in the Nuremberg Courthouse for the hearings. The courthouse, which had escaped relatively unscathed from the air raids, had adequate space; the prison with the cells where the accused were held was directly connected to the building. The U.S. authorities returned the courthouse and courtroom to the judiciary of the Free State of Bavaria in the 1960s. The furnishings specially installed for the trials were removed and most were destroyed, in spite of their historical significance. Only the left end of the prisoner's dock was preserved by chance, and is a part of the exhibition today.