Porta Posnania

Porta Posnania opened in 2014 on the bank of the Cybina opposite Ostrow Tumski, in a building by Ad Artis Architects that is a plain board-marked concrete block split by a slot which frames a view straight through to the cathedral - the building's argument being that it is a gate to the island rather than a museum about it. Inside there is almost nothing on display in the conventional sense: the exhibition is built from projections, models, sound and reconstructions, and it is navigated with an audio guide that detects where the visitor is standing and plays accordingly, which was unusual when it opened. The subject is the founding of the Polish state on the island opposite - the stronghold, the bishopric of 968, the first rulers - and it does the explaining that the site itself cannot. A footbridge shaped like a curve links it to Ostrow Tumski, added in 2018.

History

The centre grew out of a plan of 2005-2010 to revive the Śródka district; on 9 March 2009 an international competition was announced, and of 26 entries the Kraków studio Ad Artis Architects won. The exhibition was designed by the Belgian company Tempora, which specialises in narrative exhibitions, and the centre opened on 1 May 2014 (Wikipedia, Porta Posnania).

Highlights

• A concrete gate building - split by a slot framing the cathedral opposite.
• A guide that follows you - audio triggered by where you stand in the exhibition.
• Projections rather than objects - models, sound and reconstruction, few artefacts.
• A curved footbridge - the 2018 link across to the island.

When to go

All year. Half a day.

Before you go

There are very few original objects - this is interpretation, not a collection. The audio guide is effectively required and sets the pace. Closed Mondays. Best combined with the island itself rather than visited alone.

Nearby

Ostrow Tumski is across the footbridge; Srodka is behind.

Key facts