remembrance place in a former german nazi concentration and extermination camp gross-rosen in rogoźnica
diploma thesis
thesis supervisor _ michał ankiersztajn phd, eng. arch.
2021
main prize _ 58. edition of the zbigniew zawistowski
diploma of the year competition for the master’s project
sarp.pl
architektura.murator.pl
main prize _ world's best graduation projects ever created UnIATA '22
uni.xyz
finalist _ of the polish-german integration awardBDA-SARP
for the master’s project 2022
sarp.p
shortlisted and exhibition _ eumies awards. young talent 2023
18th international architecture exhibition of la biennale di venezia
ytaa.miesbcn.com
publication
architektura murator _ december 2022
architektura & biznes _ march 2023
eumies awards young talent 2023 publication _ february 2024
At the beginning, the question arose: can the memory of dark pages in world history protect us from similar events in the future? Historians often recall the words of George Santayana:
'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'
Considering various contexts and the image of contemporary reality, we can see that society still does not fully appreciate such a perspective. The current global situation evokes the context of war, a lack of respect for individual life, and draws attention to the importance of preserving the living image of past events. Therefore, it is crucial to nurture places that bear witness to history.
The project attempts to respond to the fading memory by focusing on the area of the former German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Gross-Rosen in the town of Rogoźnica. The site, due to various destructive processes affecting its historical fabric, has become a place of marginal significance and requires special attention. A significant portion of traces from its period of operation has been erased, and over time, further transformations take place. The question arises: how to deal with the existing space so that it becomes an appropriate place of memory, serving both the respect for the past and contemporary visitors?
The project became an attempt to explore the relationship between memory of past events and the spaces that witnessed them. By focusing on the mutual interaction of these two concepts, attempts were made to penetrate the essence of martyrdom sites. The accelerating pace of life, consumerism, desensitization, and a decrease in social sensitivity led to the clear conclusion that physical contact with the space becomes a necessity. Transmitting memory as something that can be experienced, detached from what we are accustomed to, is essential.
The desire to recreate an adequate interaction with memory, in the context of events during World War II, directed the research towards the emotional experiences of the audience. It was suggested that some of the emotions experienced in martyrdom places coincide with those perceived in broadly defined architectural spaces. The overarching goal and the idea of the project became the stimulation of these emotions using various tools. The use of contemporary materials and forms allowed intervention in places already heavily processed, not to replicate historical space but to improve the perception of the unique atmosphere of the place. Avoiding reconstructive actions, the focus was on extracting the intangible and non-physical message.
The main axis of the project is to place the recipient at the center and focus on their personal, internal experience. Both the physical and internal journey leads to the creation of an intimate dialogue with the surrounding space. The simplicity and austerity of the materials used allow for an unobstructed interpretation and understanding of spatial interventions, while facilitating the differentiation between added elements and those with historical significance. Means of expression are limited to various spatial, landscape, and architectural interventions, such as the museum building and the mausoleum.
Emotions evoked by moving through the designed space revolve around the perception of scale, weight, texture, and the intensity of light. Contrast, contradiction, and the disruption of familiar archetypes and proportions lead to a departure from the familiar understanding of reality and stepping out of the comfort zone. Each design element directly results from the adopted emotional reproduction scheme. For example, the sense of disrupted scale and asymmetry contributes to the growing fear when approaching the camp gate. The intertwining of these interventions creates a coherent path through the camp area. The interference with the actual fabric, using the imagined space as a design tool, allows the recipient to complement it with their own meanings in personal interaction with this space. A place specifically adapted for 'experiencing memory' thus becomes the result of exploring the relationship between space and memory.
memories of space - spaces of memory
