Unfold the Past - museum of survivors

Project idea

The idea is based on the "Blue Certificate", the work certificate for Jews. Since this saved the lives of the Schindler Jews and Schindler gave them a chance at life, it should be given significance. The constant opening and closing of the certificate and the associated control by the SS serves as a derivation for the folded forms of the design.

The folds are crafted from black steel and integrated into the structure, ensuring a careful and respectful treatment of the building. These folds create spaces, exhibition walls, and guiding elements on the floor. The use of black steel evokes a feeling of emptiness and coldness, making visitors feel uneasy, akin to the experiences of the Jews at that time. These folds appear in the main building of the museum, the Ark.

In stark contrast, the large production hall of the Ark tells the individual stories of the survivors. This is a topic that offers hope and should be remembered positively. To evoke this feeling in visitors, large fabrics suspended from a ceiling rail system create niches where the individual stories of the Jews are displayed. This creates a deliberate contrast to the cold, black steel in the rest of the museum.

The entire property is divided into a museum area and a new public area. In the public area, a new community hub will be built along with outdoor facilities such as soccer fields and green spaces. Additionally, the existing steel pavilion will be upgraded to provide space for concerts, performances, and other events.

Project description

The concept of the project is to evoke feelings of discomfort, emptiness, and loss through "folds," inspired by the folded blueprints of the "Schindler Jews." These emotions are meant to reflect how the Jews felt during the Nazi terror and convey the constant fear of working in this factory. We approach the existing buildings with the utmost respect and make only minimal interventions where necessary. The folds appear as insertions in the existing structures and form the museum's exhibition. We aim to create a museum of emotions, achieved through various materials. Not only the steel but also other chosen materials, such as fabrics, evoke emotions in visitors.

Already in the town, steel elements point to the museum and serve as guiding elements to the entrance, which is reached via a bridge also made of steel. Here, the folding element first appears. A "funnel fold" guides visitors through the main entrance and draws them into the museum. Each entrance of the individual buildings has a similar fold to indicate the entrance and encourage visitors to enter the building.

From the foyer of the main entrance, visitors first see the square where the Jews presented Oskar Schindler the ring engraved with "He who saves a single life saves the entire world." To emphasize the significance of this place, 1200 steel bars representing the 1200 saved Jews are distributed around the square. The deliberate placement of all 1200 bars symbolizes the physical presence of the people.

Guided by the steel bars, visitors first enter "Schindler's Office," where Oskar Schindler lived. We do not alter the existing structure and retain the walls of the original layout. The contents of the exhibition relate to Oskar Schindler and his wife Emilie, their past and the moral changes they went through. Only the door frames are replaced with black steel to guide visitors through the building.

The path then leads to the "SS-Building," where the SS soldiers lived. The existing structure is in poor condition, so the building will be gutted and lined with black steel. This complete lining causes visitors to lose their sense of space, experiencing a sense of emptiness and disorientation. Tall, illuminated information boxes provide details about the organized terror of the Nazi regime.

The square then leads to the main building of the museum, the Ark, where the Jews lived and worked. The exhibition focuses on the Jews, their work, and their lives. The exhibition starts in the oldest part of the building and is structured by folds made of black steel, which appear again at the entrance. These folds form rooms, walls, or guiding floor elements within the existing structure. In these created spaces, visitors are confronted with, for example, audio files from that time, evoking emotions. Traditional exhibition information is shared on the forming walls. Using black steel is intended to make the experience as uncomfortable as possible to reflect the Jews' lives.

Next, visitors pass through the so-called "Green Room" into the large hall. The Green Room is a space in the building that has been weathered over time. Plants and moss now grow on the walls and floor. This room was chosen to show the decay as part of the history of the factory site, furthermore the room serves as a transitional space because of its calming effect. This way, visitors enter the large hall, where the stories of the surviving Jews are displayed, without the oppressive feeling that prevailed in the first part of the building.

The large hall is divided by high curtains, which were chosen to evoke a positive and hopeful feeling. The testimonies, the individual fates and personal stories are exhibited here. The individual persons are to be the individual focus and not perceived as a crowd, as at previous points in the exhibition. After passing through the hall, visitors enter a transition room with seating to reflect on their experience. At the end of the building is an auditorium for discussions, film screenings, or presentations. From the ground floor of the auditorium, visitors reach the exit through a foyer and return to the square, which leads them to the gate that once served as the factory's entrance and exit. At the end of the tour, visitors can visit a temporary exhibition in the hall of the main entrance or relax in the café. The rear part of this very large hall is used for fabric production and is separated from the museum.

The second major part of the site will be made accessible to the public by creating a new community hub. Additionally, outdoor sports facilities like a soccer field will be built, green spaces created, and a public pavilion will be available for concerts or other events. The public and museum areas will be separated.

Technical information

The existing buildings will be treated with the utmost respect and minimally touched, with one exception. Schindler's Office will be preserved both externally and internally so visitors can experience the building in its current state. Only the steel elements will be inserted, complementing the incomplete structure.

The SS-Building will also be preserved, but only the exterior shell of the building. It will be gutted and lined with black steel.

The main building, the Ark, will also be preserved externally and repaired in places. The interior will be maintained and repaired. The new parts of the building, the testimony-hall, the administration and the auditorium, will be renovated to distinguish between new and old. They will be insulated from the inside to offer visitors and employees a comfortable place to stay. The large hall is divided by high curtains running on a ceiling-mounted rail system. The curtains and the niches formed by the hanging curtains can be flexibly arranged within the space and thus give the possibility to change the exhibition areas individually.

In the old part of the Ark, where the "steel folds" form the exhibition, the windows will be replaced with frosted glass to ensure soft daylight while blocking the view outside. The transition as well as the Ark will be minimally touched to retain the room's natural charm.

Additionally, the transition room will be allowed to decay naturally and will only be repaired in the event of a real danger to the building.