Project: ‘The Past of the Future – renovation and refurbishment of the MNK Czartoryski Museum, National Museum in Kraków, to make its unique collection accessible’
On 24 October 2017, Prof. Piotr Gliński, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture and National Heritage, awarded the National Museum in Krakow funding for the project ‘The Past of the Future – renovation and refurbishment of the MNK Czartoryski Museum, National Museum in Krakow, to make its unique collection accessible’, submitted for funding under Priority Axis VIII: Protection of cultural heritage and development of cultural resources of the Infrastructure and Environment Operational Programme for 2014–2020.
The total cost of the project ‘The Past of the Future – renovation and furnishing of the MNK Czartoryski Museum – National Museum in Krakow to make the unique collection accessible’, implemented under Measure 8.1. Protection of cultural heritage and development of cultural resources, Priority Axis VIII Protection of cultural heritage and development of cultural resources, amounts to PLN 56,372,531.50, of which: eligible expenditure: PLN 43,675,382.86.
On 13 July 2020, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage transferred a specific-purpose grant for investment expenditure for the implementation of: “Task No. 2: Construction works under the project ‘The Past of the Future – renovation and furnishing of the MNK Czartoryski Museum – National Museum in Kraków to make a unique collection accessible’”. Part of the final payment under contract 245/06/2018 RZ of 28 June 2018, amounting to PLN 479,331.
On 30 December 2021, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage provided a specific-purpose grant for capital expenditure for the implementation of: “Task No. 2: Construction works under the project ‘The Past of the Future – renovation and furnishing of the MNK Czartoryski Museum – National Museum in Kraków to make the unique collection accessible’”. Part of the final payment under contract 245/06/2018 RZ dated 28 June 2018, amounting to PLN 290,862.
In August 2017, following the conclusion of a two-stage architectural competition to develop a design for the new exhibition and interior design at the Palace, the designer – Art FM from Kraków – was selected. Following the preparation of the detailed design, a tender was announced for a main contractor to carry out the finishing works and create a modern exhibition adapted to the needs of people with disabilities, which has now been awarded. As planned, in December 2019 – on the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death – the renovated MNK Czartoryski Museum was opened.
The MNK Czartoryski Museum opened on 19 December 2019, following a thorough renovation that had been underway since 2010. The new permanent exhibition showcases items from the MNK Czartoryski collection, one of the most valuable museum collections in Poland and indeed in Europe. It features not only Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Lady with an Ermine’ or Rembrandt van Rijn’s ‘Landscape with the Good Samaritan’, but also works by the greatest Polish artists and a collection of national artefacts. The museum’s opening was an extremely important event for museology, culture and the building of Polish and European identity.
The MNK Czartoryski Museum underwent a thorough renovation; the exhibition space was expanded, and a new layout and permanent exhibition showcasing the MNK Czartoryski Museum collection were designed. Significant alterations to the architecture of the historic building involved the use of the palace annexe (which, prior to the renovation, housed the museum’s studios and administration), the incorporation of which into the exhibition space increased its area by almost a third. The result of these changes is a new staircase in the southern part of the outbuilding. The form, deliberately striking in its modernity, is intended to attest to its contemporary origins and secondary presence within the building’s structure. The palace’s Neo-Renaissance courtyard has been covered with a transparent roof, creating a new, attractive usable space – a venue for ceremonies and cultural events: concerts, performances or academic conferences.
The courtyard also features a space dedicated to learning and discovery for families with children and people with disabilities, as well as an open-plan café. On the ground floor, there is also a museum shop, an educational room and basic facilities: toilets, ticket offices, cloakrooms and a visitor information desk.
The permanent exhibition at the MNK Czartoryski Museum has been integrated into the space organised around the Palace courtyard. It is situated across two floors, in a series of 26 museum rooms. This exhibition is more extensive than the previous one, as for the first time visitors can view art from the Far East; rooms have also been set aside for temporary exhibitions by the Print and Drawing Gallery and the MNK Czartoryski Museum Library.
In accordance with the design by the Kraków-based firm ART FM, the modern, specially designed display cases are flanked by a collection of several dozen meticulously restored wooden display cabinets belonging to the Museum’s original 19th-century furnishings from around 1880. The layout of the exhibition space, which freely combines the ‘old’ with the ‘new’, meets the expectations of the contemporary public and utilises modern advances in the presentation and conservation of collections. For a significant number of the works on display in the spaces of the MNK Czartoryski Museum, it was necessary to devise an individual method of presentation, in accordance with the principles of contemporary conservation of historic buildings, whilst at the same time harmonising with the limited space of the historic building and its new vision combining modern and historical elements.
The new exhibition is fully accessible to people with disabilities (lifts, ramps, signage and tactile paving), whilst a special sensory trail allows for the tactile perception of selected exhibits presented as replicas. The sensory trail is a permanent feature of the exhibition on the first and second floors of the Museum Palace and is open to all visitors. The opportunity to touch, hold and familiarise oneself with the shape and texture of a historical artefact is a unique feature that brings the Museum’s collections closer to visitors, a benefit appreciated by a wide range of visitors.
The MNK Czartoryski Museum runs educational activities for various audiences: adults, including senior citizens, students, schoolchildren, pre-schoolers, teachers, families with children and people with various disabilities. These activities take place as part of various events designed specifically for the needs of the target group. The programme includes, amongst other things, museum lessons, lectures, workshops, training sessions and guided tours, including those for people with visual impairments and for people with hearing impairments, interpreted into Polish Sign Language, etc.
Educational materials have been developed – props and worksheets for individual visitors (adults, young people and families with children) and organised school groups.
Visitors have access to audio guides for adults and children in Polish and foreign languages: English, German, French and Italian, as well as audio guides for people with visual impairments and a video guide for people with hearing impairments, translated into Polish Sign Language. In 2020, an app featuring three tour routes was also launched.
The ‘Past of the Future’ project is accompanied by three publications: a catalogue, a guide to the MNK Czartoryski Museum in Polish and English, and a catalogue of the MNK Czartoryski Museum’s Armoury.
As part of the project, three virtual tour routes have been made available, in Polish, English, sign language, ETR and with audio description. The virtual tour routes enable people who are unable to visit the museum to explore the Collection.
The MNK Czartoryski Museum: https://mnk.pl/3d/Sale_Czartoryskich/index.htm
Art of the Rembrandt era and The Lady with an Ermine: https://mnk.pl/3d/Sale_Leonarda/index.htm
Medieval Art: https://mnk.pl/3d/Sztuka_Sredniowieczna/index.htm
The MNK Czartoryski Museum has also hosted events such as Museum Night and the MNK Festival.
