Thüringer Landesarbeitsgericht, Labor court in Erfurt, Germany

The Thuringian Higher Labor Court in Erfurt is an appellate body that reviews decisions from lower labor courts throughout the state. It handles disputes over employment contracts, dismissals, wages, and other workplace matters brought forward by workers or employers seeking to overturn lower court rulings.

Under the Arbeitsgerichtsgesetz of 23 December 1926, a Landesarbeitsgericht Jena was set up for Thuringia in 1927; from 1 November 1934 it sat in Weimar as the Landesarbeitsgericht Weimar. The Prussian parts of today's Thuringia belonged to the Landesarbeitsgericht Erfurt, one of four in the Naumburg court district, with labour courts in Erfurt, Mühlhausen, Nordhausen, Suhl, Worbis and Ziegenrück. After 1945 the labour courts were closed and disputes handled by ordinary courts; under Control Council Law No. 21 the court was rebuilt in Erfurt, while Weimar was not reopened. From 1952 to 1963 the GDR had labour courts at district level, then integrated them into the district courts. The Thuringian Landesarbeitsgericht was newly formed in 1993.

The court's name ties it to Thuringia's labour jurisdiction, rebuilt in 1993 after German reunification. Its seat in Erfurt places it in the same city as the Federal Labour Court, which reviews its rulings. The building on Rudolfstraße is a converted production hall of the former office machine maker Optima, refitted from 1999.

The court sits in the Justizzentrum Erfurt at Rudolfstraße 46, a converted Optima office-machine factory building. Hearings are public, so visitors can attend; the building is shared with other courts, so check which session room is listed before entering.

Susanne Engel became the first female president of the court in 2018, marking a shift in how leadership positions are filled. This change reflects broader developments in judicial management across the region.