FENiKS

As a result of the project, the Museum will conduct ongoing cultural and educational activities for residents of Wola, Warsaw, Poland, and international tourists. Social inclusion will be achieved through educational activities conducted in collaboration with partners, the comprehensive accessibility of the permanent and temporary exhibitions, and dedicated individual visitor programs. The creation of a Media Library will enable broader and deeper experiences related to the Museum's themes, immovable artifacts (existing historical sites) and movable artifacts, and iconography, aiming for complementarity, development, and immersiveness for the viewer. The Media Library will incorporate innovative solutions enabling tours of the entire Ghetto area (an original artistic model/map of the Ghetto and an application supporting its use).

The project involves the revitalization and restoration of the hospital's historic buildings, the construction of new buildings, underground facilities, and the preparation of a permanent museum exhibition, which will ensure good tourist services, create a brand for the monument, and develop services using modern technologies in the presentation of the offer.

The project assumes the implementation of the following tasks: 

• Revitalization and adaptation of two historic buildings – the former hospital and laboratory to a new function – the seat of the Warsaw Ghetto Museum.  

The goal of the planned activities is to preserve and revitalize the historic buildings and introduce new museum functions, thereby restoring the project's former glory. Conservation, restoration, construction, and installation work will enable the creation of high-quality exhibition and educational spaces. 100% of the project's buildings will be used for cultural and educational activities. 

• Conservation of archives, museum exhibits, Judaica and memorabilia 

The project also includes the conservation of some of the museum's exhibits intended for the permanent exhibition, including: a collection of glass negatives; archaeological artifacts held in the MGW collection; and a collection of archival materials, including the archives of the artist Henryk Hechtkopf. Conservation of the exhibits will not only enable their display as part of the Warsaw Ghetto Museum's Permanent Exhibition but also allow for their subsequent digitization for the purposes of the Media Library, which will, among other things, increase the Museum's digital accessibility. 

• Creation of the Media Library    an innovative set of technological solutions and applications enabling new forms of using culture and the use of solutions for people with various forms of disabilities and neurodivergent people to facilitate access to museum content. 

The Mediatheque, as a real space (a room) and a virtual space (an online system) designed to provide unlimited opportunities for acquiring knowledge, consists of the following components: a reading room and a library at the Warsaw Ghetto Museum; a Magic Wall system with an application enabling the viewing of digitized objects from the Warsaw Ghetto Museum collection in 2D and 3D, including the possibility of 3D printing; VR and AR applications with an interactive model of the ghetto, a touchscreen monitor, and tablets; films showing the history of the facility and the stages of its renovation, 3D scans of the hospital building and the laboratory building, and scans of 5 sets of movable objects – museum exhibits, intended for the permanent exhibition. 

As part of the creation of the Media Library, the purchase of necessary equipment and furnishings is planned, including: computer sets for readers with specialised keyboards and mice for people with mobility disabilities; computer sets for library staff, a book code reader, a reader – a device for reading books by blind and visually impaired people, a scanner converting print into audio, Braille printers and a soundproof screen. 

• Soft activities 

The project includes training for Museum employees employed under employment contracts. New employees will be prepared for their work through training and invited to contribute to the Museum's program. Employees will create new communities and audiences around the Museum in their communities. 
 

The project envisages cross-regional and international collaboration with other institutions, for example, in the exchange of resources and access to information collected in the Mediateka. This will facilitate the development of new competencies both among staff and, indirectly, among users, contributing to the development of social innovations while also providing opportunities for access to extra-budgetary funds. 

• Promotional and information activities 

The Warsaw Ghetto Museum plans to widely communicate that conservation work and the digitization of collections, supported by an EU-funded program, will contribute to transforming the former Bersohn and Bauman Children's Hospital in Warsaw into an accessible, top-tier cultural institution. Adapting the historic complex to the needs of visitors, including those with disabilities and neurodiversity, will not only reintroduce the hospital to the cultural life of the Wola district as a fully functional Warsaw Ghetto Museum, but will also improve and enhance the flow of tourists in the city and district. Information campaigns, documentary films, and other activities will support these goals, creating an interested and engaged community whose participation will contribute to the project's success. 

Target audiences include: residents of Warsaw and the surrounding area, regional communities living in the areas of former shtetls and ghettos, Polish and foreign tourists, students and teachers, scientists and researchers (in particular those dealing with the issues of the Ghetto Uprising, World War II and the history of Judaism).

The project is multifaceted, ensuring the preservation of the genius loci of the historic buildings, and the Museum will conduct ongoing cultural, exhibition and educational activities based on the principles of accessibility, social inclusion and sustainable development.

The project is scheduled for implementation in 2023–2026.

The project addresses the objective of Measure FENX.07.01 "Infrastructure for Culture and Cultural Tourism," which is to strengthen the impact of culture and sustainable tourism on economic development, social inclusion, and social innovation. Furthermore, the project provides solutions that address energy efficiency and the challenges of the green economy, applies the principles of the New European Bauhaus, supports digital transformation, and applies the "European Quality Principles for EU-funded interventions with a potential impact on cultural heritage."