Kathrin Röggla

"The court can only deal with the past, we have so much future here, no wonder it doesn't work."
The trial of the members of the National Socialist Underground was described by observers as the most important court case since the reunification and a look into the abyss of German society. 9 murders and 58 other racially motivated acts were tried in a period of 438 days in Munich. Enlightenment, justice, punishment and redemption; the expectations of the trial and the resulting verdict could hardly be fulfilled.


Writer and playwright Kathrin Röggla condenses the trial of the century into five acts, focusing on the perception of the visitors. She has a group from the very heart of society arrive in the courtroom together, waiting, watching and hoping. Through the eyes of the characters, a theatrically arranged search for truth is presented, in which the audience witnesses the course of a court ballet that has been tried and tested over many years. From the podium in the courtroom, they discuss the trial, the defendants, the judge, the senate and the role of the joint plaintiffs, thereby also putting the rule of law to the test. How was the NSU able to spread terror undetected for 14 years? What role did the Office for the Protection of the Constitution play? Why were the victims turned into suspects? Can this process change society? And above all: Is the final verdict enough to meet all expectations? Opinions on these questions differ among the characters on the podium as much as they do in German society.