Pictures from the past. Adapting a historical building of a former armoury into an exhibition and education center for the Museum of Photography in Kraków

Abstract

There are many examples of adaptations of historical buildings into art museums in Poland and across Europe. Nevertheless, the adaptation of a historical building is still a major design challenge and requires an individual approach. On the one hand, the architect's task is to adapt the existing building to its new function, and on the other hand, he faces the challenge of preserving the historical value of the building. The article presents an example of the adaptation of the former armory building into a museum of photography, in which, despite a relatively large interference in the existing structure, it was possible to retain the character of a monument. There were analyzed project measures which have enabled the adaptation of the former armoury for museum purposes with the reference to the historical structure. The article also highlights the relationship between historic architecture and the presented photographs.