After the Second World War, Europe was a physical and moral ruin: entire generations had been killed, cities and infrastructure destroyed. May 9, 1945 marked the end of a horrific period, but also the beginning of reconstruction. A new future had to be built – but where to find the hope?

In times of increasing polarization, disinformation, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, climate crises, and declining trust in the rule of law and democracy, the European project RECONSTRUCT puts the spotlight on a defining, yet often overlooked period.

RECONSTRUCT uses a theater performance, roleplay workshops, and a website full of stories to tell about the reconstruction of post-war Europe in all its diversity, inspiring audiences to think about building a new society themselves. The project is aimed at a broad audience, and in particular at young people who could use some hope for the future.

Theater play Pyrrha Throws a Stone

It is May 1945, and for 18-year-old Pyrrha real life has yet to begin. But there she is, among the rubble of what once was Europe. Looking at humanity, she sees it as hopelessly lost. Better to get rid of it altogether. Yet she goes in search of answers in the stories of the people she meets. Why would anyone still want to save humanity after Auschwitz? And why should she do anything to help? This intense fictional theater monologue is based on true stories from across Europe. The story is set just after the war, but it could just as well be today: a story about hope, and about how, against all odds, something good might still be found in humanity.

Roleplay The New City

Good god, what a state the world is in! While world leaders are making rather a mess of things, our own influence seems limited. But what if rebuilding the society were in your hands? What would the world look like then?
In the game The New City (8 to 30 participants), we return to Europe in 1945. Cities and villages lie in ruins and must be rebuilt. A group of residents comes together to decide the future of their new city. But what should be done first? What are people's needs and dreams? One thing is certain: you have to figure it out together. Whose ideas will receive the most support and be realized? In The New City, you experience the history of democracy firsthand by stepping into the shoes of a post-war character and learn what it means to help steer society.