Władysław Rudziński
Architect
Stutthof Museum Visitor Centre
ALL
DESIGNS
Together with : Marcin Nowak.
Stutthof Museum Visitor Centre is an example of a unique approach to adapting and recreating old historical spaces nad areas. To the east of the main museum terrain, there lies a former kitchen building which belonged to the Stutthof Nazi Concentration Camp. The building was to be transformed into the visitors centre with a small hotel providing at least one-night relief for those who come to the place from far. During the process of designing we had to face the huge historical meaning of this place and reconcile it with the new functions in the most elegant and fluent way.
We wanted to connect the past, the present and the future of this place. By deconstructing the old Kitchen and leaving only its main brick facade, then adding a new building divided into three functional sections, we created a Monument Alley connecting the forest paths with the main area of the Stutthof Museum. The brick wall became the symbol of the past, a silent witness of human suffering, which now reflects in the polished concrete walls of the new beginning. Walking along the Alley, the visitors are purified and clear their minds before entering the main area of the Stutthof Museum.
Roofing structure and the floor of the new centre are made from the parts deconstructed from the old Kitchen. Three functional sections comprise the hotel area with sleep-boxes, a restaurant area and the exhibition area close to the Museum.
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