The Sybir Memorial Museum in Białystok is the best building in the region built in the years 2019-2023. The results of the AEDIFICIUM competition, organized by the Białystok Branch of the Association of Polish Architects (SARP), for the best architectural project in Podlaskie Voivodeship in the years 2019–2023, gave the Museum the honorable GRAND PRIX. The design and implementation of this project were carried out by the design team “Arkon” consisting of Jan Kabac, Bartłomiej Dudziński, Anna Babula, Marcin Szymborski, and Mateusz Mazur. The Sybir Memorial Museum was also awarded in „the Public Utility Building” category.
Architect Jan Kabac – Chief Designer of the building, handed over the AEDIFICIUM GRAND PRIX statuette to the Director of the Museum, Professor Wojciech Śleszyński, as a token of successful collaboration. The statuette will be displayed in the Museum, occupying a revered place to remind visitors of this exceptional recognition.
The design of the Sybir Memorial Museum stands out for its profound symbolism and the carefully thought out architectural composition. As Jan Kabac describes, it was crucial to preserve the existing warehouse building in its original form. The warehouse, which is the main part of the exhibition, is one of the exhibits itself. The existing railway siding that runs across the southern ramp became the main point of the entire project, leading visitors through the space full of symbolic references to the history of the exiles.
The area around the Museum is enriched with the “steel forest” installation, symbolizing the taiga, the mass character of deportations, and the tragically ended human lives. The interior of the Museum guides visitors through different stages of exiles’ lives – from the dark space symbolizing the unknown fate, through the dim rooms of the old warehouse’s ground floor, to the illuminated spaces of the uppe r floor, symbolizing life in exile.
The Sybir Memorial Museum is not just a building but, above all, a place of deep reflection and memory. There is a space commemorating the victims of the Katyn massacre and other execution sites in the basement of the warehouse. The form of this part of the Museum, with its strict walls and the atmosphere that causes reflection, is designed to evoke feelings of humility and reflection in visitors.
The architecture of the Sybir Memorial Museum is designed not only to give aesthetic experiences, but also to make one read emotionally the message contained therein. We wanted to create a place that moves and provokes deep reflection,” emphasizes Jan Kabac.
“This award honors not only the work of the team of architects, but it also proves how important it is to preserve the memory of the difficult history of Siberia for future generations,” adds Professor Wojciech Śleszyński, Director of the Museum.
We warmly invite you to visit the Sybir Memorial Museum to personally experience this extraordinary space that uniquely combines history, emotions, and architecture.
