Find aids: Findbuch 1999, Findkartei Registraturbilddner: On 1 October 1817, a Higher Appeal Court was established for Anhalt-Dessau, Anhalt-Bernburg and Anhalt-Köthen with its seat in Zerbst. It existed until 1849 and was supervised by the state government. With the separation of the judiciary and the administration, the call for a fundamental reform of the judiciary had become loud. Now the entire administration of justice was exercised in the first instance by district courts established in Dessau, Köthen and Zerbst in conjunction with individual judges in district court commissions, and in the second instance by the Higher Regional Court in Dessau. After the dissolution of the Zerbst Higher Appeal Court, the third instance became the Higher Appeal Court for the Thuringian states in Jena. With the conclusion of a state treaty between the Grand Duchy of Saxony-Weimar on the annexation of the Duchies of Anhalt-Dessau, Anhalt-Köthen and Anhalt-Bernburg to the Higher Appellate Court in Jena, new regulations for the judicial authorities in Anhalt came into force by the "Law on the Organisation of the Court Authorities" of 23 March 1879. The Higher Regional Court, the District Courts of Dessau, Köthen, Zerbst, Bernburg and Ballenstedt and the District Court Commissions of Oranienbaum, Jeßnitz, Coswig, Roßlau, Sandersleben, Nienburg and Harzgerode were repealed. For Anhalt, a regional court with its seat in Dessau was established, and by decree of 24 March 1879 the local courts of Ballenstedt, Bernburg, Coswig, Dessau, Harzgerode, Jeßnitz, Köthen, Oranienbaum, Roßlau, Sandersleben and Zerbst were established as the first court instance. The following places belonged to the district court district of the district court Dessau: Dessau with Neuwülknitz and Rodebille, Alten with Brachmeierei, Dellnau, Diesdorf, Elsnigk, Fraßdorf, Friedrichsdorf, Hinsdorf, Jonitz, Kleutsch with Schwarzer Stamm, Kochstedt, Körnitz, Großkühnau, Kleinkühnau, Lausigk, Libbesdorf, Lingenau, Meilendorf, Mosigkau, Naundorf, Pötnitz, Quellendorf, Reppichau, Reupzig, Rosefeld, Scheuder, Scholitz, Sollnitz, Storkau, Törten, Zehmigkau and Ziebigk. Immediately after 1945, the district courts were renamed district courts and partly restructured, but as early as 1947 they were largely returned to their old organizational form. The judicial system was not restructured until 1952, when an ordinance was issued to adapt the structure of the courts to the structure of the state apparatus. Inventory information: The files were transferred to the archives with several copies of individual files and were formed into the "District Court Dessau (with District Court Dessau-Köthen)".
