Stockholm City Court () was a city court in the City of Stockholm from the Middle Ages to 1971 when Stockholm District Court was established whose judicial district included the newly formed Stockholm Municipality. Stockholm City Court was located in Stockholm Court House from 1915 to 1971.
History
Early history
Stockholm was under the jurisdiction of a city court () from the middle of the 13th century. Initially, the city court held its hearings in a town hall in the neighborhood (now Gamla stan) between Stortorget and the Storkyrkan and the southern cemetery. Not much is known about what this town hall looked like; it was likely no higher than two storeys tall and contained only one courtroom. The town hall was burnt down during a city fire in May 1330 when most of the city, including the castle and the church, were destroyed. The town hall was rebuilt on the same site as it had previously stood, and the neighboring house to the west was also bought and built together with the town hall. Between the buildings a walkway was constructed, called , which led from the old town hall over to the new courtroom in the neighboring house. A third courtroom was added after another fire in 1407, and at the end of the 1570s the building underwent several extensive repairs, both externally and internally. In the middle of the 17th century, the town hall began to become cramped, and the Governor of Stockholm Klas Fleming proposed in 1640 that a new town hall be built. This issue arose shortly after the magistrate's duties were divided into four colleges. However, there was no new town hall, and the premises problems were temporarily solved by all colleges except the College of Justice () moving to other premises in the city. In the 1660s and 1670s, the city court's overcrowding was discussed once again. No new town hall was built this time either, but instead another of the neighboring houses was bought, , and merged with the former town hall complex.
18th and 19th centuries
In 1724, the city court bought a fourth neighboring property, the so-called at Stortorget. In the 1730s, however, the city court moved to new premises at Riddarhustorget in Gamla stan. In connection with this, the trial court () took over some of the rooms in the Braheska huset. The new town hall was located in the former Bonde Palace. There were several reasons for moving: partly the old town hall had become too crowded, partly it was too costly with constant repairs and maintenance of the old buildings, partly the king and the magistrate wanted the city to have a dignified and suitable town hall. In February 1732, the new town hall was ready for occupancy. In December 1753, the town hall was seriously damaged in a fire and almost the entire building was destroyed. After the fire, the city court returned to the old town hall complex at Stortorget, waiting for the new town hall to be repaired. At the end of the 1750s, the premises could be used again. In the 1870s, complaints began to be made about the town hall's premises. The critics considered that these "were outdated and unsuitable for their purpose." Initially, there were plans to rebuild the old town hall or build new buildings on the adjacent plots.