13.06.2024
"Blackmail with chapstick"
A conversation about "Recht stadtlich!", the new tours of Karlsruhe's places of law
On Thursday, June 13, 2024, we hosted a free city tour on the topic of law through Karlsruhe for the first time. This special city tour was designed by our mediation and education team. In this interview, head Thomas Stelzl reveals how the project came about and what participants can expect!
For all organizational information on the offer and to book the tour for groups, please go to to this page!
Dear Thomas Stelzl, what goals is the foundation pursuing with the new offer of a regular city tour?
"Law and the rule of law - both are of enormous importance for our coexistence in a free and peaceful society. But for most people, the terms themselves sound abstract, inaccessible and unrealistic. We want to change this impression with the city tour: Because many places in the city area and the stories associated with them show us that we all come into contact with law on a daily basis, they also show that this is not necessarily a bad thing. Our aim is therefore to familiarize participants with the law in everyday life and places of law in Karlsruhe in a low-threshold, interesting and sometimes amusing way."
Dear Thomas Stelzl, what goals is the foundation pursuing with the new offer of a regular city tour?
"Law and the rule of law - both are of enormous importance for our coexistence in a free and peaceful society. But for most people, the terms themselves sound abstract, inaccessible and unrealistic. We want to change this impression with the city tour: Because many places in the city area and the stories associated with them show us that we all come into contact with law on a daily basis, they also show that this is not necessarily a bad thing. Our aim is therefore to familiarize participants with the law in everyday life and places of law in Karlsruhe in a low-threshold, interesting and sometimes amusing way."
Did you and your team have a specific focal point or focus from which you approached the project during the design phase?
"In a way, our management is an "all-in-one" package, as it combines four subject areas:
Firstly, law and the rule of law in everyday life and in general,
secondly, curiosities and entertainment,
thirdly, Karlsruhe's special features and stories,
and fourthly, fundamental rights and high jurisdiction.
Each of these topics could have been the subject of a separate tour, but we want to show the diversity of the topic. As a result, the tour deals with the history of the RAF in Karlsruhe as well as the role of bees in the BGB or the question of whether the last one always has to pay the bill. Overall, the diversity of the topic of law in a city becomes clear and is explained using specific cases and stories."
Who will accompany the participants to the (un)secret places of law?
"The team from the Foundation's Education and Outreach department will be your trusted tour guides. I would particularly like to highlight my colleagues Felicia Stahnke from Karlsruhe and Marie-Elisabeth Miersch from Leipzig, who have both put their heart and soul into developing the stations. Ms. Stahnke and I will also be leading the tours ourselves, supported by our colleague Lilly Stumpf from Knowledge Management. Our interdisciplinary tour guides from the fields of cultural studies and mediation, history and law, "Karlsruhe natives" and "Karlsruhe women by choice" have something to offer everyone."
Which station is the team looking forward to the most?
"I think everyone in our team has different favorites. Personally, I always have to smile about one of our examples when we stop at the Federal Court of Justice: It's about the question of whether you can commit aggravated extortion with a chapstick - sounds like something out of a Bud Spencer movie, but it really was tried.
But I am also particularly pleased when we manage to inspire our fellow travelers so much that they are still talking about the city tour in the evening."
Many thanks for the interview Mr. Stelzl and great encounters on the upcoming city tours!
Who will accompany the participants to the (un)secret places of law?
"The team from the Foundation's Education and Outreach department will be your trusted tour guides. I would particularly like to highlight my colleagues Felicia Stahnke from Karlsruhe and Marie-Elisabeth Miersch from Leipzig, who have both put their heart and soul into developing the stations. Ms. Stahnke and I will also be leading the tours ourselves, supported by our colleague Lilly Stumpf from Knowledge Management. Our interdisciplinary tour guides from the fields of cultural studies and mediation, history and law, "Karlsruhe natives" and "Karlsruhe women by choice" have something to offer everyone."
Which station is the team looking forward to the most?
"I think everyone in our team has different favorites. Personally, I always have to smile about one of our examples when we stop at the Federal Court of Justice: It's about the question of whether you can commit aggravated extortion with a chapstick - sounds like something out of a Bud Spencer movie, but it really was tried.
But I am also particularly pleased when we manage to inspire our fellow travelers so much that they are still talking about the city tour in the evening."
Many thanks for the interview Mr. Stelzl and great encounters on the upcoming city tours!
Facts about the city tour at a glance:
When: Immer am zweiten Donnerstag im Monat, wieder ab April 2025 in Karlsruhe, sowie ab Mai 2025 auch in Leipzig, 17:00-19:00 Uhr
Participation in the tour is free of charge. Registration is not required.
Special dates for groups are possible by arrangement: rundgang-karlsruhe(at)stiftung-forum-recht.de, tour-leipzig(at)stiftung-forum-recht.de
Further information: https://stiftung-forum-recht.de/vermittlung/stadtrundgaenge/