Farewell to Dr. Stephan Nikolaus Barthelmeß

Deputy Director shaped the development of the Forum Recht Foundation from the very beginning.

Karlsruhe/Leipzig. Dr. Stephan Nikolaus Barthelmeß, who has served as deputy director of the Forum Recht Foundation since October 2020, will leave the foundation on September 30, 2026, upon reaching the mandatory retirement age, and will return to self-employment. He played a key role in shaping the development of the Forum Recht Foundation from the very beginning. As a member of the founding board of directors, he oversaw and shaped the foundation’s development over a period of six years. He bore particular responsibility for the development of the planned buildings in Karlsruhe and Leipzig. From September 2023 to July 2024, he also served as interim director of the foundation.

Bettina Limperg, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Forum Recht Foundation and former President of the Federal Court of Justice, pays tribute to his long-standing commitment: „From the very beginning, I have witnessed the conviction and foresight with which Stephan Barthelmeß has turned the idea of Forum Recht into a vibrant institution. The development of the future buildings in Karlsruhe and Leipzig, in particular, bears his unmistakable mark.“

„Stephan Barthelmeß played a key role in shaping the Forum Recht Foundation during its crucial early years. Much of what defines our work today—and upon which we can build for the future—is closely linked to his contributions,“ says Dr. Cord Brügmann, director of the Forum Recht Foundation. „With his experience in cultural management, his knack for organization and planning, and his great perseverance, he has driven the development of our foundation forward. For this, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to him—both personally and on behalf of the entire team.“

„Being able to help build the Forum Recht Foundation in its early years was an extraordinary task,“ says Barthelmeß. „From the very beginning, there was a trusting, creative, and lively exchange with the Foundation’s Advisory Board and Board of Trustees regarding the Foundation’s mission and impact. At the heart of this was always the idea that Forum Recht should be a unique and innovative type of institution—one that not only facilitates the participatory teaching of law and the rule of law, but above all brings people together in dialogue and has a positive impact on society. For this, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to both bodies!“

Reconstruction work at two locations

A doctor of art history and a culturally manager with international experience, he has served as a museum director and held senior management positions at, among others, the Pablo Casals Festival in Prades, the Frankfurt Book Fair, the UNESCO World Heritage Site Corvey, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, the Haus der Kunst in Munich, and the Kunsthalle Mannheim.

A key focus of his work was on the foundation’s future buildings in Karlsruhe and Leipzig. Barthelmeß was responsible for the planning of these new construction projects, from the early conceptual stages through to the completion of the requirements planning in October 2022. With the approval of the requirements for both locations in 2026, an important milestone was reached, laying the groundwork for the architectural competitions. In addition, he was responsible for developing foundation-wide marketing, establishing digital communication, and creating a concept for the foundation’s digital strategy.

His work is also closely linked to the establishment of the two locations in Karlsruhe and Leipzig—but especially the Leipzig location, which the foundation opened in June 2023 at Universitätsstraße 20.

During a challenging period for the fledgling foundation, Barthelmeß took on additional responsibilities: Following the departure of the then-director, he assumed sole interim leadership in September 2023 and led the foundation until the new director, Dr. Cord Brügmann, took office in July 2024.

In terms of content as well, he advocated for viewing law and the rule of law not merely as subjects of specialized legal discourse, but as ways to spark social debates and bring people together in conversation.