nizio design international's mausoleum of the martyrdom of polish villages

nizio design international’s mausoleum of the martyrdom of polish villages
all images courtesy of nizio design international

the ‘mausoleum of the martyrdom of polish villages’ is a project commissioned by the museum of kielce region countryside in remembrance of casualties in rural polish communities during the german occupation. the site on which the ‘mausoleum’ sits is a symbolic location in michniów, which has served as a collective grave, host to the ‘pieta of michniów’ sculpture, and the national remembrance house.

aerial view 

the intervention, created by warsaw-based nizio design international, has a characteristic segmented structure. its tissue is sliced by cracks that subdivide the form into both closed and open parts. the design draws from history, and attempts to be consistent visually to what might have been seen in the past.

there are six segments in total, which leads visitors through a history of the pacification and presents its subsequent stages and the process of escalating repression. the ‘mausoleum’ mirrors the narrative by undergoing deformation and destruction itself, symbolically conveying the situation’s reality.

during construction 

the overall plot exceeds 16,200m². core exhibition functions will take approximately 1,700m², with temporary events occupying roughly 275m². the ‘mausoleum of the martyrdom of polish villages’ will officially open in 2016. 

façade detail 

each form is one in a continuous destructive process 

at night 

‘mausoleum’ interior 

total length 

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions  feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: nick brink | designboom