AnOberlandesgericht (German:[ˈoːbɐˌlandəsɡəʁɪçt]ⓘ; plural –Oberlandesgerichtepronounced[ˈoːbɐˌlandəsɡəʁɪçtə]ⓘ;OLG, English:Higher Regional Court,[1][notes 1] or in BerlinKammergericht: KG) is a higher court inGermany.
There are 24Oberlandesgerichte in Germany and they deal with civil and criminal matters. They are positioned above regional courts (Landgerichte) and below theFederal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof), in family and child law above the local courts (Amtsgericht) and below the Federal Court of Justice. In theOberlandesgerichte, the offices of theGeneralstaatsanwaltschaft (German:[ɡenəˈʁaːlˌʃtaːt͡sʔanvaltʃaft]ⓘ) or district attorney general are located. In criminal cases that are under primary jurisdiction of the Federal Court of Justice (i.e., cases concerning national security), the Oberlandesgerichte act as branches of the Federal Court of Justice, that is, as "lower federal courts" (Untere Bundesgerichte).
As perSection 120Courts Constitution Act [de], OLGs haveoriginal jurisdiction (Erstinstanz) over crimes against public international law under theVölkerstrafgesetzbuch (genocide,crimes against humanity, andwar crimes). This includes trials underuniversal jurisdiction (that were committed by non-Germans outside of Germany).
The OLG Düsseldorf is one of the most popular patent trial forums forpatentees in Europe.[2]
TheOberlandesgerichte were first set up in theGerman Empire by the Courts Constitution Act of 27 January 1877. InPrussia, there had beenOberlandesgerichte as the higher provincial courts since 1808, known asRegierung from 1723 to 1808.
As of 2023 there are 24 Higher Regional Courts in Germany. EachGerman state has at least one Higher Regional Court.Baden-Württemberg andRhineland-Palatinate each have two,Bavaria,Lower Saxony andNorth Rhine-Westphalia each have three Higher Regional Courts.[3]
For historical reasons the Higher Regional Court inBerlin is called theKammergericht and the Higher Regional Courts inHamburg andBremen are called Hanseatic Higher Regional Court.
| Higher Regional Court | Native name and common abbreviation | ECLI- court code | Federal state (Bundesland) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Higher Regional Court of Karlsruhe | Oberlandesgericht Karlsruhe (OLG Karlsruhe) | OLGKARL |  |
| Higher Regional Court of Stuttgart [de] | Oberlandesgericht Stuttgart (OLG Stuttgart) | OLGSTUT | |
| Higher Regional Court of Bamberg | Oberlandesgericht Bamberg (OLG Bamberg) | OLGBAMB |  |
| Higher Regional Court of Munich [de] | Oberlandesgericht München (OLG München) | OLGMUEN | |
| Higher Regional Court of Nuremberg [de] | Oberlandesgericht Nürnberg (OLG Nürnberg) | OLGNUER | |
| Kammergericht | Kammergericht (KG) | KG |  |
| Brandenburg Higher Regional Court [de] | Brandenburgisches Oberlandesgericht (OLG Brandenburg) | OLGBB |  |
| Hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Bremen [de] | Hanseatisches Oberlandesgericht in Bremen (HansOLG Bremen or OLG Bremen) | OLGHB |  |
| Hanseatic Higher Regional Court | Hanseatisches Oberlandesgericht (HansOLG or OLG Hamburg) | OLGHH |  |
| Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt am Main [de] | Oberlandesgericht Frankfurt am Main (OLG Frankfurt) | OLGHE |  |
| Higher Regional Court of Rostock [de] | Oberlandesgericht Rostock (OLG Rostock) | OLGROST |  |
| Higher Regional Court of Braunschweig [de] | Oberlandesgericht Braunschweig (OLG Braunschweig) | OLGBS |  |
| Higher Regional Court of Celle [de] | Oberlandesgericht Celle (OLG Celle) | OLGCE | |
| Higher Regional Court of Oldenburg [de] | Oberlandesgericht Oldenburg (OLG Oldenburg) | OLGOL | |
| Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf [de] | Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf (OLG Düsseldorf) | OLGD |  |
| Higher Regional Court of Hamm [de] | Oberlandesgericht Hamm (OLG Hamm) | OLGHAM | |
| Higher Regional Court of Cologne | Oberlandesgericht Köln (OLG Köln) | OLGK | |
| Higher Regional Court of Koblenz [de] | Oberlandesgericht Kobelnz (OLG Koblenz) | OLGKOBL |  |
| Palatine Higher Regional Court | Pfälzisches Oberlandesgericht Zweibrücken (OLG Zweibrücken) | POLGZWE | |
| Saarland Higher Regional Court [de] | Saarländisches Oberlandesgericht (OLG Saarbrücken) | OLGSL |  |
| Higher Regional Court of Dresden | Oberlandesgericht Dresden (OLG Dresden) | OLGDRES |  |
| Higher Regional Court of Naumburg [de] | Oberlandesgericht Naunburg (OLG Naunburg) | OLGNAUM |  |
| Schleswig-Holstein Higher Regional Court [de] | Schleswig-Holsteinisches Oberlandesgericht (OLG Schleswig) | OLGSH |  |
| Thuringian Higher Regional Court [de] | Thüringer Oberlandesgericht (OLG Jena) | OLGTH |  |
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