Honorable mention (ex aequo) in the category of master's degree
author
Julia Giżewska
Title
"Spatial memoir - Conceptual design for the revitalization of the Jewish necropolis foundation in Katowice".
supervisor
dr. hab. Natalia Bąba-Ciosek prof. PŚ
university
Silesian University of Technology
author's description
Katowice has always been a heterogeneous place, through which diverse residents flowed with their stories - later shaping the identity of the city. On Kozielska Street there is the first and only Jewish cemetery ever established there. Today it is the most important place, still reminding us of the presence of the Jewish community in the area. The necropolis is not only an important memorial, but also a space with numerous aesthetic qualities, resembling a secret garden hidden between urban quarters. It can be compared to a pause - a green seal on the city map, which on the one hand is a certain independent microstructure, while on the other - an integral part of Katowice's macrostructure. Hidden in the trees, behind a wall, it appears as an inaccessible place where time has stopped. Meanwhile, it is a space, inextricably linking three spheres - underground, aboveground and above ground . Within the boundaries of the discussed premise there are cemetery objects, marked by time and historical events, which from day to day are languishing...crumbling in sight. Hence there was a real need for their revitalization and adaptation - so that the whole assumption could continue to build cultural, social and architectural awareness not only of the people of Katowice, but also of tourists. The work is an attempt to introduce a new function to the buildings accompanying the Jewish cemetery - the pre-burial house and the house of the Funeral Brotherhood (Chevra Kadisha), while maintaining the function of the space intended for the ritual part of burial. An integral part of the project is the overall park and cemetery establishment, treated as a space that complements not only the original function, but also the new one.
