summary 612 chosen structure and style certainly gave courthouses the status of official architecture.The conception, as it was expressed by representatives of both the Superintendent’s Office and the local district, included a diversified layout in which most rooms were intended for specific functions. In some cases, the architects also tried to spatially separate the activities that took place within the buildings,mainly by modifying the conventional structure without changing the symmetrical appearance. In 1800, a minority of the 350 rural judicial districts held sessions in a purpose-built courthouse. Most of them were situated in the provinces south of Stockholm, while many rural district courts in the northern parts used the premises of the parish. At the time, courthouses were located close to the main road and the local inn, normally in the centre of a village.A great majority was built as a single-floor, timbered construction containing a courtroom, a vestibule, a kitchen, one room for the judge, one for the law clerk or scribe and one for either the panel of lay assessors or the county sheriff, who also took on the role of a prosecutor.The structure and architectural elements laid out in the planning process were often respected in principle, yet smaller changes and complementary additions were regularly made. One reason for alterations was that the people involved in the planning and the actual building process were greater in number and had more functions than those who were formally engaged or responsible. Although the changes were small, such as the removal or addition of a door, they could have great effect on everyday practices. Courthouses of that time were multi-functional buildings, both during and between court session periods. The court gathered at least three times a year and sessions lasted for several days, up to a fortnight. The judge and the twelve members of the panel of lay assessors would then be seated at the back of the courtroom, facing the standing audience.When speaking to the court, witnesses and parties would be standing inside the bar by the judge’s table, where the bible was placed. Since the procedure was inquisitorial with certain adversarial elements, the judge constituted the principle actor of the scene, handled the questioning and directed the course of events.Normally, the judge and his clerk slept in their offices, which were situated next to the courtroom, when the court was in session. Courthouses always contained a kitchen with a baking oven, and meals were cooked and served in the building by a house-keeper. Between court session periods, the judge brought the documents and court protocols back to his private resi-
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