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A delegation of judges from the Panevėžys Regional and District Courts recently visited Germany, where they strengthened a 20-year-old relationship with judges in Panevėžys' partner city, Lünen. During the visit, the delegation toured key legal institutions, including the Dortmund Regional Court and the Higher Regional Court for North Rhine-Westphalia in Hamm.

This 200-year-old court in Hamm is the largest in all of Germany. Although Düsseldorf is the largest city in this Land, the court is located in Hamm, the geographical centre of the state. The building, which has 14 floors, employs 200 judges and more than 1,000 other staff members. It functions as the highest instance for criminal cases, while in certain civil disputes, cases can proceed to the Federal Court of Justice of the Federal Republic of Germany. Additionally, examinations for judges appointed to the state courts are held here. The court's jurisdiction covers 88 lower courts, employing about 12,000 staff members. The delegation was introduced to the court's operations by Judge and Press Spokesperson Daniel Grobe-Kreul, who dedicates 80% of his time to media relations.

The other court visited, the Dortmund Regional Court, is part of the German Federal court system and belongs to the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Its jurisdiction encompasses several lower-level District Courts. The Dortmund Regional Court acts as a second-instance court for cases decided by the District Courts and as a first-instance court for more complex cases. The Dortmund Regional Court falls under the jurisdiction of the Hamm Higher Regional Court.

During the visit, the German colleagues also arranged an engaging leisure program for their guests. Thanks to them, the Panevėžys judges took a 35 km bicycle trip around the Lünen area and visited the UNESCO-protected Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen, the largest former coal mine in Germany, which now operates as an industrial museum.

"The cooperation with German judges, which has been nurtured for many years, is extremely valuable. We exchange experiences in the areas of digitalisation, activity organisation, and process improvement, and discuss complex professional challenges," said Donatas Jatužis, President of the Panevėžys Regional Court.

"The informal connection is no less important. After all, it is always nice to learn how colleagues rest after demanding and intense work," he added.

Continuing this friendly cooperation, in two years, the Panevėžys judges will host their colleagues from Germany for a return visit to Panevėžys.

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