Ralph Applebaum Associates

The Józef Piłsudski Museum is dedicated to marshal Piłsudski: a crucial figure in the history of Poland and its struggle for independence. An eminent statesman and military commander, Piłsudski would spend a significant part of his life out of the political limelight, yet his actions would powerfully ripple across Europe.

RAA was asked to devise a visitor experience that would not only present Piłsudski’s dramatic biography, but would also frame his personal story as a lens through which contemporary Poles could consider topics of nationhood and civic participation. We sought to create an experience that would be both historically immersive and future-minded.

Located below grade on the grounds of his well-preserved manor house, the exhibition is organized symbolically between a lower level and an upper mezzanine. The two levels are connected by a ramp ascending within a dramatic, panoramic space displaying floor-to-ceiling video projections on a transparent scrim. A central landing forms a transition in the story’s narrative arc and offers a moment of gathering and reflection before immersing the visitor in the second half of the permanent exhibition. The museum incorporates emotional moments into a didactic narrative and provides space for dialogue and debate on contemporary issues.

Through Piłsudski’s story, Polish visitors understand their own role as active interpreters of their nation’s past and as agents in shaping its future.