People from a wide range of backgrounds, religions and skin colors, who had been in Würzburg for different lengths of time, came to the Mainfrankentheater in Würzburg for the kick-off of our project. Lord Mayor and patron Christian Schuchardt was present with a video message in which he spoke highly of the project and expressed his interest in what people have to say in the context of 1.000 Erfahrungen (“1,000 Experiences”). He welcomed the commitment to more togetherness in our society and criticized the elimination of funding for democracy and integration at a time when it is most needed.

Thomas Kirchberg and Pia Beckmann hosted the program. Dirk Terwey, director of the Mainfrankentheater (MFT), gave a welcoming address. Markus Trabusch, the theater's artistic director, who has supported the project from the beginning, also sent a message as he was unable to attend.

Dr. Jürgen Emmert, director of the Museum am Dom and head of the art department of the Diocese of Würzburg, gave an entertaining and exciting introduction to the exhibition on the occasion of the vernissage of Winfried Muthesius' photographic art "1.000 Odysseen" (“1,000 Odysseys”).

Tim Puls, a dramaturg at the MFT, explained what the plays “Maria Stuart” and the opera “Medea” are about. Both are co-operation pieces for #endlichankommen. He also highlighted the achievements of the theater pedagogues, who will work for a year under the heading "Ankommen" (“Arriving”): Jenny Holzer's team reaches over 7,000 young people and multipliers each year through their educational work. This gives the project a further depth. The possibilities of playfully experiencing different perspectives and options for action using concrete examples related to “arriving” increase mutual understanding and self-efficacy. In this respect, they are an indispensable component in the overall concept.

Pia Beckmann interviewed the artist Winfried Muthesius, whose exhibition was opened. She coaxed out of him why he has repeatedly addressed the topic of death in his work in recent decades. “Death is the only thing in life that is certain,” Muthesius replied. He considers it important to live and shape one's life with this awareness.

In the second part, the visitors and the active participants got to know each other better. In relaxed conversation rounds, the most diverse people exchanged ideas with each other.

Finally, the website endlichankommen.info was presented, which contains all the information, events, dates and, above all, the podcasts with stories from people in Würzburg: “1,000 experiences” in the podcast “PEACE OUT” by pics4peace, available on all major podcast channels.

New podcasts will appear every Sunday and Thursday on the social media channels of pics4peace, in which a wide variety of people from Würzburg talk about themselves, the chairwoman of the association announced.

The feedback from the participants in the aftermath of the event was overwhelming. Many indicated that they wanted to participate. Some offered to help in a concrete way. Others expressed their thanks for the opportunity to meet new great people.

We look forward to further creative encounters!