Saving Schindlers Ark - PATH OF REMEMBRANCE

Project idea

The "Museum of Survivors - Path of Remembrance" is a unique and deeply moving project dedicated to the survivors of the Holocaust, in particular Schindler's rescued Jews in Brenec. The central element of the concept is a tunnel, that symbolically runs through the entire exhibition and takes on various forms and structures. This tunnel symbolizes the life journey of the survivors survival.

The exhibition is located in the historic buildings and creates a link from the past, with a focus on the Holocaust, to the present life of survivors. The personal testimonies of the rescued Schindler Jews bring the history to life and make it tangible. The experience and the feeling of history are enhanced by the historical exhibits that represent the buildings themselves. Lighting, multimedia elements and fabrics installations in the room also contribute to the atmosphere and make the history directly tangible for visitors.

The new museum building serves both functionally and narratively as a transition for the exhibition start and a created space in front of the community production hall. This hall will become the new center of the community and offer space hub for exchange and encounters and education in the form of seminars, community space, events and film. The outdoor space towards the Svitava river will be generously designed, giving the site additional quality and bringing the architectural elements to the outside. This creates a flowing connection between the museum and its surroundings as a public space for visitors and citizen.

The requirements of the competition, the prescribed exhibition space and the room program, are fully taken into account. The preservation of the listed building facades is also ensured. The architectural concept focuses less on reconstruction and more on the conservation and restoration of the buildings for use as a museum. Elements such as framing, lintels, gates, tunnels as well as the new construction and renewed bridges to the site achieve an architectural enhancement that is also visible to the outside. The interior is adapted to the Holocaust and war years in a black as dark atmosphere and the survivor sections in white, concluding with the Room of Remembrance at the third floor of the ark and at the office building will reinsurance that even in the darkest time of the human history has a delight to save human lives and the will to save more of them.

The architectural design of the museum takes up the existing historical substance and develops it further in a way that preserves the monument. New elements and structures are added to emphasize the historical significance and at the same time to create a contemporary space for the exhibition and visitors. The buildings themselves become exhibits that tell the story of the survivors. The new building complements the historical context and builds a bridge to the present day. The generous outdoor space along the river also offers a place for reflection and recreation, reinforcing the link between past and present.

The "Museum of Survivors - Path of Remembrance" is therefore not only a place of remembrance and commemoration, but also a lively space for encounters and exchange.

Project description

Project Infromations:

The "Museum of Survivors - Path of Remembrance" is a unique and deeply moving project dedicated to the survivors of the Holocaust, in particular Schindler's rescued Jews in Brenec. The central element of this concept is a tunnel, that symbolically runs through the entire exhibition and takes on various forms and structures. This tunnel symbolizes the life journey and hiding of the survivors survival.

**Additional building**
The new building includes the entrance area where visitors can buy tickets, leave their cloakroom and use the restrooms.

**Tunnel
The tunnel is designed to convey a sense of oppression and serves as an introduction to the history of the Holocaust. Along the way, the tunnel dissolves and leads to staircases and door frames that mark the beginning of the exhibition as a background.

**Holocaust Hall**
This hall tells the story of the persecution and murder of the Jews by the Nazis during the Second World War.

**SAM - SchindlersArkMuseum**
This area leads to the front of the building and tells the story of the Schindler Jews. The exhibition becomes increasingly brighter the closer you get to the rescue. Visitors move partly under or between the main tunnel to illustrate the ongoing persecution.

**Room of Remembrance
An emotional room based on the Schindlerjuden exhibition, in which the names of the rescued and deceased are displayed in white and black.

**German building**
The building is deliberately entered through the rear entrance and left through the side entrance, symbolically bypassing the main entrance. A "house within a house" concept shows visually the history of the factory and site in this black house, which is entered through small entrances.

**Office building**
Adjacent to the main exhibition, the survivors' testimonies are displayed in a bright room. Here visitors can rest and conclude the main exhibition.

**
The main exhibition about the Schindler Jews ends in the new forecourt in front of the additional building. From here, tunnels lead into the large production hall and the visitors shop.


**Production hall 1848
The production hall serves as a community and educational centre. Seminars, events, meetings, caffe and temporary exhibitions take place here, including the new Jewish culture exhibition. The hall also includes a restaurant and an event area with a large foyer connected to the outdoor space by factory doors.

**Exterior space landscape**
The outdoor area takes into account the urban planning situation on site and offers a free memorial site as well as a public meeting place and park. Ramps and art exhibitions characterise this space.

Technical information

The "Museum of Survivors - Path of Remembrance" project comprises the installation in historical buildings in accordance with the preservation order. The main material is black exposed concrete, which is used in various structures and forms. The openings and windows are re-framed, breaks are filled so that the time can be read on the building. The interior will be partially plastered to meet the requirements of a modern museum, additional the new panelling of the windows and insulation. Very angular shapes have been used throughout the architectural design to show the historical context of the site.

A central element is a symbolic tunnel, which is linked to the existing ceiling and leads into the exhibition narrative. This tunnel represents the journey of the Holocaust survivors.

The architectural design focuses on preserving rather than restoring the historical substance, with new elements being added to emphasize the historical significance and at the same time creating a contemporary space for the exhibition and visitors. The inserted elements are mainly used as house-in-house elements so that they can form a reference to the existing building and still not infest it.

Thanks to the outdoor location in the south of the northern site and the tree planting, the site remains noise-free and regenerated despite its central location public and industrial character. This also applies to the pedestrian and cycle path along the river Svitva.

The extension to the west of the production hall is designed as a community space that can be accessed from the centre of the site via a new bridge.

The additional building will be made of black concrete as a masive structure, which is functional and offers cloakroom and toilet facilities as well as ticket sales. The tunnel element is narratively linked to the new building to launch the exhibition.