heir (Erbe)

Under German law, the estate (Nachlass) passes directly to the heir (Erbe) upon the death of the deceased. if there is more than one heir, the estate passes to the community of co-heirs (he/she “steps into the shoes of the deceased”). See § 1922 of the German Civil Code (BGB). Unless there is a German executor (Testmamentsvollstrecker) the heir or the community of co-heirs administers the estate. Other persons like the legatee or the forced heir, only have a personal claim against the heir.