Press releases

• … shows one of the two floor plans of the house “in der Scheer” from the records of the Imperial Chamber Court—the highest court in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation.
• As a rule, the disputes brought before the Imperial Chamber Court were of a civil nature, often including inheritance disputes.
• The floor plan is part of an 18th-century legal case involving the house “in der Scheer” on Pontstraße.

The Aachen City Archives regularly features interesting items from its collections as “Archival Item of the Month.” The item, accompanied by a brief description, is displayed in a showcase in the foyer of the City Archives on Reichsweg and is also featured digitally on the archives’ website. In October 2026, the featured item is a floor plan of the house “in der Scheer” from the files of the Imperial Chamber Court.

The Imperial Chamber Court as the Precursor to the Federal Constitutional Court
The highest court in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation was the Imperial Chamber Court. It was established as part of the imperial reforms at the end of the 15th century and created a structured framework for the peaceful resolution of conflicts through the courts.

This was a decisive milestone in finally curbing the practice of feuding, which had been outlawed. Although the king traditionally regarded himself as the supreme judge, in reality he had no influence over court proceedings. De facto, the Imperial Chamber Court was therefore not monarchical but strongly influenced by the Imperial Estates—which is why the German Federal Constitutional Court likes to regard itself as its historical successor.

After initially moving from place to place frequently, the court settled in Speyer in 1527, until it was forced to flee from French troops. In 1693, it established its seat in Wetzlar, where it sat until its dissolution in 1806. It was by no means only powerful imperial estates or imperial knights who brought their cases before the Imperial Chamber Court; nobles, townspeople, and peasants often did so as well.

In most cases, the Imperial Chamber Court served as the court of last appeal for judgments handed down by territorial high courts. Thus, if a citizen of Aachen lost a lawsuit before the Aachen lay judges’ court, he could appeal to the Imperial Chamber Court and hope that a different decision would be reached there. As a rule, the disputes brought before the Imperial Chamber Court were of a civil nature, often including inheritance disputes, as was the case in this 18th-century Aachen case presented here.

Dispute Over the House “in der Scheer” on Pontstraße
The Siegers had passed away and stipulated in their will that their house, known as “in der Scheer,” should go to their children. The house was located on Pontstraße next to the “Großes Haus von Aachen,” which still stands today and houses the Newspaper Museum. However, the inheritance turned out to be more complicated than expected, as a file from the Imperial Chamber Court shows, because the Siegers had not owned the entire house—one-third of it was owned by a man named Anton Herpers.

Since the heirs believed that the house should not be divided and did not want to share it with Anton Herpers, they took their case to the lay judges’ court in Aachen and sought to compel Herpers to either sell his one-third share to them or buy out their two-thirds shares. However, the Aachen judges ruled in Herpers’ favor, and thus the situation remained unchanged. Consequently, the heirs filed an appeal with the Imperial Chamber Court in 1725.

On-site experts drew up floor plans
. Since the judges in Wetzlar were unfamiliar with the on-site situation, experts were commissioned to examine the house in detail; they, too, concluded that the house was indivisible. It is likely that two floor plans of the house were also created as part of this expert assessment; these are included in the court file and were intended to illustrate the local conditions to the judges in Wetzlar.

Review by the Imperial Chamber Court
The legal briefs exchanged by the two parties were highly contentious: Both accused each other of delaying the proceedings, and in some cases, the expert witnesses were even sharply criticized.

Ultimately, the heirs' appeal was successful. The Imperial Chamber Court overturned the Aachen court's decision and ordered Herpers to either sell his share or buy the heirs' share.

Source: StAAc, RKG C 2237-2