Imagine you have to start all over again: a society must be rebuilt from the ground up. Which choices would you make? What would you preserve, and what must we never allow to happen again?

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

Can we still imagine a future? Due to devastation and severe housing shortages after the war, citizens from all walks of life find themselves together in a shelter: a female resistance fighter, a Jewish widow with small children, a Catholic civil servant, a collaborator, a Roma family. To overcome lethargy, they set themselves the task of inventing their ideal new city. But how do you do that when wounds are still raw, and hunger, scarcity, fear, and distrust prevail? Are all wishes achievable and compatible? The New City is a roleplay for 15 to 35 participants, each get their own role with an accompanying profile and actions. Participants put themselves in the shoes of their characters and make decisions accordingly. Guided by a game leader, they must come up with solutions together.