MIKVEH MUSEUM IN OŚWIĘCIM

Nizio Design International has developed the architectural concept for the exhibition pavilion and the permanent exhibition design for the Mikveh Museum in Oświęcim — a place dedicated to presenting an exceptional eighteenth-century wooden mikveh discovered in 2023 during archaeological investigations on the Bulwary embankment.

The project provides for the protection and display of the monument in situ. The museum pavilion has been designed as a protective and exhibition structure erected directly above the historic mikveh, preserving its authenticity and unique historical context whilst enabling visitors to encounter one of the most significant material testimonies to Jewish heritage in Central Europe. Considered unique on a European scale, the mikveh is among the most precious surviving traces of Jewish culture in this part of the continent.

The minimalist rectangular pavilion rises discreetly from the greenery immediately adjacent to the Memorial Park of the Great Synagogue, symbolically completing the space once occupied by the Oświęcim synagogue. The design draws on the architecture of historic Ashkenazi mikvehs: the motif of stairs descending into the earth, forming a meander in plan, serves both as a functional solution and a symbolic reference to the ritual of immersion. The façade of noble aggregate recalls the Kabbalistic symbolism of the foundation stone, whilst the roof actively manages rainwater, evoking the significance of living water in Jewish tradition. Water flowing down the elevation leaves individual traces upon it, endowing the building with the character of a living, ever-changing organism.

The culmination of the visitor route is the central space, where the historic mikveh is displayed in a glazed showcase set into the floor. Seen from above, it appears submerged in water, whilst remaining in the precise location of its discovery. The introductory narrative preceding this space traces the centuries-long history of Jewish settlement in Oświęcim, the role of the mikveh in religious practice, and the context of the 2023 discovery. Glass — a material at once functional and artistic, evoking water frozen in motion — unifies the aesthetic of the entire exhibition. Archival projections, visual and sound impressions, and the distinctive scent of wood together construct an atmosphere of ritual purification that engages all the senses.

Construction of the pavilion is planned for 2027.