My main priority in Krakow is the site of Schindler’s Enamel Factory, which is shared by a branch of the Krakow Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Krakow.
Pathway leading behind Schindler’s Factory to the Mocak (left)
The Muzeum Krakowa - Oscar Schindler’s Enamel Factory is located in an original factory building on the site, and features an extensive exhibit chronicling the German occupation of Krakow, and a smaller exhibit acknowledging the story of Schindler’s list. The exhibit is immersive, employing several different multimedia techniques to engage the visitor with the material: text and images, video, projection, audio, etc. Each space is designed to evoke a scene related to the information in the space: a reconstruction of a train car, reconstructions of daily life in the Jewish quarter, the simulation of a concentration camp yard and fence. The historical exterior remains intact, which acknowledges the original role and presence of the building, though the design of the interior was removed from this context. While the museum’s material was of course related to the context of the original building, this wasn’t particularly evident as one moves through the exhibition.
The idea to create individual, immersive spaces and experiences for the visitor as they move through a presented narrative is a distinct and justifiable strategy for exhibition design, but given the museum’s location inside a historical building related to its content, I was surprised that there wasn’t a stronger relationship between the building and the exhibition. This style of installation isn’t necessarily my favorite: I felt that the constant overlapping of media and the artificiality of some of the spaces was overstimulating, and didn’t help me engage with the material (I acknowledge though, that this type of exhibition might be more engaging for some people, particularly children. Given that the Home Army Museum also employed this strategy, it seems to be popular here).
I was able to discuss the project with a museum representative, and learned that the building is not actually original, it was effectively rebuilt after the war, and continued serving as administrative offices for a manufacturing company on the site for several years. However, the facade has kept its original appearance, more or less, and the gate at the center of the building is original. Because the building itself wasn’t necessarily in a condition to authentically frame Schindler’s story, and because there was a desire to address the larger historical context of WWII and the German occupation, the decision was made to devote most of the space to the immersive historical exhibition, with a smaller space dedicated to the Schindler story. This space used period-appropriate objects to artistically recreate Schindler’s office because the original had not been preserved, with the exception of the map on the wall, which is actually original (and was featured in the movie.) Original objects from the factory are also featured throughout the exhibit, including enamel products manufactured on site.
I think these circumstances explain the building’s role in the exhibit, and the museum’s attitude toward acknowledging the site context. The significance of the location is certainly acknowledged, but there just wasn’t a great opportunity to convey this information using the original space. I also learned that renovating the building for this use presented great challenges: being a historical building, they were unable to alter it too significantly, putting in just one elevator, and stopping short of the mechanical updates that would have been preferred. As a result, since its opening in 2010 the museum has encountered mechanical and accessibility issues, and is hoping to eventually conduct another renovation. I think this represents an important issue for adaptive reuse: how much of the building needs to be preserved in order to maintain its historical significance? How much needs to be updated in order for the building to be used efficiently and successfully?
The project was relatively cheap (~5 million USD) and has generated 3x that amount in profits, which was unexpected. This is also part of the adaptive reuse trade-off: the more you replace, the more you spend, but the more you prepare for longevity. Ideally, a project like this could be a success by completing a modest renovation on a smaller budget, but I wonder where the line is between current necessity and sacrificing future performance.
By contrast, the Museum of Contemporary Art Krakow employs an exhibition strategy common among contemporary art museums: the space is stark and simple, and each artwork has the agency to define the space around it to a certain extent. The building itself has been very thoughtfully responsive to the site context: its scale and volume reacts to that of the adjacent buildings, and the roof mimics the sawtooth of adjacent industrial buildings. An original factory wall is preserved on the front facade, enclosed by storefront windows to form a dramatic corridor.
Beyond these design decisions, the project doesn’t directly address the historical context of the site, but the museum’s partnership with Schindler’s Enamel Factory next door (consisting of shared tickets for a discount, mutual publications in gift shops, etc.) accounts for this to a certain extent. I bought a small paperback about the history of the site and the development of both museums in the Mocak gift shop.
The insertion of these museums into this formerly industrial neighborhood has had a visible effect in the past 10 years - several new residential buildings have been completed, several companies have moved their office spaces to this area, and several new restaurants have popped up. I’m sure the subject of adaptive reuse as it relates to urban renewal and gentrification would be a really interesting master’s thesis (maybe in another life).
I was excited to find so many examples of projects in Krakow that employ methods of adaptive reuse and commemoration. These four projects are all very different in how they make use of these strategies, and I think each provides valuable insight as to the application of these strategies.