transform.arks

Project idea

After almost 80 years, the Holocaust is still present in our lives today and it is therefore still extremely important to come to terms with what happened and to pass it on to younger generations to prevent it from being forgotten. The historically significant places where the atrocities and human suffering took place provide a comprehensive basis and the right place to create a memorial and a memorial site using eyewitness accounts and information gathered as a kind of knowledge base.
As this is a highly sensitive topic in the Czech past, it is important to treat the heritage with the appropriate respect. It is important that we are aware of our responsibility to preserve and pass on the truth about the past. This requires not only careful documentation and presentation of the historical facts, but also an empathetic and dignified approach to the personal stories and fates of the victims.
These places should not only provide historical information, but also offer spaces for reflection and dialogue, where visitors can understand the profound impact of the Holocaust on humanity and be encouraged to reflect on the importance of tolerance and humanity.
The story of Schindler's List is one small ray of hope among many others in this dark past and makes the place in Brněnec something special. It therefore deserves to be treated with respect in the future. The story of Schindler's List is a small but significant ray of hope during these dark chapters of human history. Emilie and Oskar Schindler saved more than 1,200 Jewish people from certain death during the Holocaust by working in their factory in Brněnec. This remarkable act of humanity and courage highlights Brněnec as a special place that occupies an important place in the culture of remembrance and makes it a unique place of remembrance and reflection.
For the future, it is of the utmost importance to treat Brněnec with the respect it deserves. This means preserving the place not only as a historical site, but also as an educational centre that teaches future generations the importance of civil courage and humanity. Memorials such as Brněnec should be places where the stories of the rescued and the brave helpers are told to maintain awareness of the horrors of the Holocaust and to convey the lessons learnt.
A respectful approach to Brněnec also requires careful care of the physical remains and a well-founded historical reappraisal.

Project description

Concept ‘The Museum of Survivors’:
The most important and first point of the concept is the development of the northern section. This is where the Jews, who survived thanks to Emilie and Oskar Schindler, arrived at the railway station in Březová nad Svitavou on cattle wagons from Krakow. This is located approx. 500 metres north of the former subcamp and offers visitors an opportunity to arrive. The path between the station and the future memorial site is seen as part of the design and symbolises the beginning of the museum. The importance of arriving is emphasised by a predetermined route that the Jews travelled on foot at the time.
Signposting elements make the route visible to visitors and adapt to the local topography. The path, which repeatedly widens and narrows, is emphasised by three signposting elements. The first element is two wall discs that stand in a V-formation to each other and thus also widen and narrow. After passing through, the path widens again and there is initially a seating formation to prepare for the theme on site. The topography rises at one point along the path. Here, the path is not planned over the rise, but through the hill. This creates an introverted part of the path, which is also intended to prepare the visitor for the upcoming visit.
The three listed buildings are complemented by a fourth building block, a pavilion. This pavilion is seen as the reception building in the ensemble of buildings and thus offers a first point of contact for visitors. The pavilion takes on a pioneering element in the building structure and symbolises the direction of the museum with its strongly accentuated roof. With its concise expression - the triangular shape - the pointed corner points to the Schindler's Ark building and thus conveys to the visitor the direction of travel on site.
After arriving, the visitor sets off on the path within the existing buildings and relives the events of the Second World War. The theme of the path is also taken up within the buildings, but in a different way. To ensure respectful treatment, the orthogonal existing structure is preserved and restored to its original state. Small, minimal structural interventions flank the treatment of the existing structure. The path stands in opposition to the existing structures and sees itself as a separate structure within the buildings. The path has no orthogonal intersections and is thus seen as a fragment of history.
In the area of the turbine hall, the concept of the "rays of light" is taken up. The breakthroughs and openings between the ground floor and the first floor in the ground open the view between the two levels and create an excellent atmosphere thanks to the natural light.
The exhibition concept is characterised by its minimally invasive interventions in the buildings, so it is a prerequisite that the exhibition elements are also restrained and do not resemble the elements of a classic museum. To this end, projections of images and text are used on the existing wall surfaces, and discreet ceiling suspensions are supplemented by textile panels. These are a recurring feature on the route through the buildings.
The gap between Schindler's Ark and the turbine hall forms an interior space that is only connected to the outside by skylights. This space is the innermost part of the building and offers visitors a place to pause for a moment due to its location. As this place has already been partially reclaimed by nature, a green interior space is created here, symbolising the lifeline.
In addition, the former foundations of the turbines in the turbine hall on the ground floor are in a very good structural condition. These elements, which protrude approx. 1.20 metres from the floor like half-height supports, are used as an additional exhibition installation. The names of the 1,200 Jews are immortalised on the foundations with the help of steel rods, thus paying tribute to each Jew.
In a third part of the building, which was added to Schindler's Ark in the 1960s, there are seminar rooms for school classes and individual offices for the staff. There is no path here, as this part of the building was not used by the Jews. This emphasises the different uses of the building.
The visitor is then led across the square to the former garrison building. Here, too, the path within the building is elevated and designed with views of the square and the surrounding area to the rear. In this building, the European development and the history of the Löw-Beer family in the textile factory are thematised. The exhibition is also projected onto textile panels and displayed as a symbol of woven history.
The building that served as Emilie and Oskar Schindler's office will be converted into a café and museum shop as the fourth building block. The café also offers an outdoor area on the square, so that visitors can spend time on the square, which has a historical connection to Emilie and Oskar Schindler, and begin to reflect after their visit. This is where he gave his farewell speech before fleeing with his wife Emilie at the end of the war.
His stay on the site ends with his return journey to the railway station. This route reflects the Jews' path to freedom and emphasises the significance of the fact that the Jews who stayed in this subcamp all closed the camp in freedom and survived this cruel time.

Concept ‘The Sustainable living village’:
As the southern sub-area is completely derelict apart from one building, there are no restrictions on the design of the housing estate. Around 150 flats are being developed in modular construction, based on different types of flats. The aim is to create a mixture of flats of different sizes that are adapted to different lifestyles.
The area is accessed from the east from road 363, where there is a bridge over the river in the immediate vicinity of the industrial villa and a second access road in the north-eastern area. The area can be crossed by car, but car-free paths have also been considered to create a recreational area between the houses.
As the topography of the site tends towards a mountain, the concept in this case is being developed based on the local conditions. For this reason, the houses in the southern part are adapted to the topography and planned as terraced houses.
The site analysis shows that Brněnec is currently home to predominantly smaller houses, such as detached and semi-detached houses. There are also some apartment blocks. To take up these types of housing, terraced houses are being built in the southern part. The flats in the terraced houses each extend over three levels to do justice to the topographical conditions on site. In the northern part of the new housing estate, three- to five-storey apartment blocks will be developed, which will be accessed via a pergola. The height development of the houses is based on the position of the sun and the orientation of the buildings and is intended to ensure that each flat receives as much natural light as possible.
Three different types of floor plan will be created across the entire site: a terraced house, a two-room flat and a four-room flat. The two-room flats are suitable for senior citizens as well as single people or couples. The four-room flats can be occupied by families with one or two children. The terraced houses offer families their own little house in the village and retain the village character. The access level is on the first floor, which immediately forms the street level.
Five different modules are required for the two- or four-room flat. The two-room flat is supplied as one room module. The four-room flat consists of two room modules joined together.
The pergola provides access to the flats and is also available as an area for communication between the residents. Covered terraces and balconies will be created on the other side of the building, providing residents with a degree of privacy.
A multi-purpose building is being built in the northern part of the area, which will also house a social, catering and medical facility, thus creating a new village centre in Brněnec. This is urgently needed as the range of facilities for everyday life is limited or only accessible by car.
The industrial villa in the southern part of the area is being restored and will become a meeting place for the neighbourhood for all age groups.

Technical information

‘The Museum of Survivors’:
The entrance pavilion is clad with a double carbonised wooden slatted façade, a so-called Yakisugi façade. The wooden slats are fixed with gaps so that natural light can enter the interior and create a cosy atmosphere. The space is closed off from the weather by a mullion and transom façade.
To allow visitors to experience this respect in its fullness as they walk through the history and the place, the path is raised to a different level and thus directly defines the approaching path. As the Jews pursued two activities in this building, sleeping or staying and working, the elevated path changes material as it progresses. The visitor thus experiences the two different activities within the building. In the sleeping and recreation areas, the floor is made of wood, while in the turbine hall at the rear of the building, the floor is replaced by metal. The path through the museum is thematically emphasised by the views in the part of the Schindler's Ark and by bringing the path closer to the building openings, the view is often granted into the outside space and the surroundings.

‘The Sustainable living village’:
The residential buildings of the ecological housing estate are built in modular construction and are based on a modular dimension of 4.20 metres by 14 metres. The modules are prefabricated in timber frame construction in the production hall. All modules are delivered with the structural walls and ceilings. On site, the modules are assembled and stacked on top of each other to form a complete building. Once the individual modules have been positioned, the façade made of a rear-ventilated timber slatted façade is installed. The roofs are designed as green roofs so that the buildings blend in with nature.
The pergola, which provides access in the northern area, will be built on site and is not part of the individual modules. This will be supplemented by a lift to ensure accessibility for residents.

Documentation

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