Katowice | The Silesian Museum by Riegler Riewe Architekten

The Silesian Museum. Photo: Paolo Rosselli

The Silesian Museum by Riegler Riewe Architekten

Introduction by Federica Lusiardi-Inexhibit

The Silesian Museum in Katowice, Poland, designed by the Austrian practice Riegler Riewe Architekten, is an outstanding example of how to reshape a former industrial complex into a coherent ensemble of exhibition galleries and open-air public spaces.
By adopting a contemporary architectural language, the authors have been able to successfully cope with the artificial landscape formed by the disused buildings and structures of a former coal mine – a concrete embodiment of Katowice’s identity – by finding in the post-industrial character of the site the interpretation key for their project.
The Silesian Museum is one of the 40 finalist designs at the Mies Van Der Rohe Award 2015, shortlisted from 420 entries.

The Silesian Museum. Photo: Wojciech Krynski

The museum
The story of the Silesian Museum is long and fascinating. The museum was founded in 1924 to tell the culture and the complex history of Silesia, a Polish region bordering Germany and the Czech Republic and a meeting point of different people for centuries. In 1939 the new museum building, almost completed, was destroyed by the Nazis and the collections dispersed. In 1984 the museum was re-founded and the collection was rebuilt with over 120,000 pieces of art, ethnography, scenography, archeology, and history.

The Silesian Museum. photo: Paolo Rosselli

In 2015, the new museum complex has been opened, on a competition-winning design by the architectural practice Riegler Riewe.
The Silesian Museum occupies a floor area of 25,000 square meters, mostly located on three underground levels. The museum galleries display Polish art from 1800 to the present day and collections of history, sacred art, and costume. Along with temporary exhibition spaces, the complex also includes a panoramic elevator, housed inside a former wine shaft tower, the Center for Polish Scenography, an auditorium, a multifunctional hall, administration offices, and workshops.

The Silesian Museum. Photos Wojciech Krynski

Silesian Museum Katowice – Abstract by Riegler Riewe Architekten

The history of the city of Katowice is closely tied to the themes of heavy industry and mining. They have left behind distinctive artificial landscapes, industrial complexes, and buildings and are anchored in the collective consciousness as an unmistakable cultural heritage endowing a sense of identity. The museum is located on the premises of the former “Warszawa mine,” directly adjacent to the city center. The design uses interventions that are nearly imperceptible from the outside and is based on the idea of creating an expansive museum with diverse offerings. Borrowing from, and as an homage to the former function of the terrain, the spatial program was placed entirely below ground. Only the abstract glass cubes, which provide daylight for the exhibition levels below – one of them houses administration, development, and climate control – are visible from the outside and meld harmoniously in the ensemble of existing historical structures. The newly created network of paths, squares, and green areas gives rise to a gracefully built public recreational area. Through the addition of a lift, visitors can access the existing hoist frame and obtain a view over all of Katowice.

Silesian Museum Katowice: above Riegler Riewe Arkitecten, plan level 0-site and section.
below: internal views, photos by Paolo Rosselli

The Silesian Museum. Internal views: Photos Wojciech Krynski.

The Silesian Museum – Technical data

Client: Schlesisches Museum Katowice
Planning:  Riegler Riewe Architekten ZT-Ges.m.b.H.
Griesgasse 10, 8020 Graz / Austria
http://www.rieglerriewe.co.at

Building contractor:Budimex S.A.
Site area: 27.332 m2
Floor area: 25.067 m2
Built-up Area: 3.343 m2
Cubage: 228.702 m3
Start of construction: 2011
Completion: 2013

The Silesian Museum – photo Paolo Rosselli