Archeological Museum in Biskupin

The concept of a 'museum' is a relatively young idea in human history, dating back 'only' to the 15th century. In contrast to the other buildings in the reserve area, the new archaeological pavilion in Biskupin does not serve a defensive, residential, or any other function satisfying basic human needs. The idea of a museum is an expression of the moment in which our civilization finds itself—a testament to our interest in science, knowledge, and understanding. It is worth looking at the design of this pavilion as another work that will tell the story of a specific moment in human history along the long arc of its development. It will become an integral part of the Archaeological Museum in Biskupin, providing testimony to our contemporary era. The Archaeological Museum in Biskupin is a museum about Time and Man. Rooted in a very specific place. Only through a thorough understanding of the past, attempting to find answers to who we were, can we understand ourselves now and consciously design our future. "[...] museums are more than just places of memory. They are places of worship proper to futurocentric societies, which provide them with coherence, recreating and refreshing in every present moment their ties to the past and future." Krzysztof Pomian "Museum. History of the World". Time is the central theme around which the museum is oriented. Besides its exhibition function, the pavilion serves as an astronomical instrument for observing the movement of the Earth around the Sun, and thus for observing the history of human understanding of time and the universe. The main axis of the building is marked by the sunrise line during the spring and autumn equinoxes. The two additional axes shaping the architectural form of the pavilion are the directions of the sunrise during the summer solstice and the winter solstice. These four most significant moments in the year for all of nature, and therefore for humans, define the seasons, providing hope for the arrival of spring in the middle of a long and dark winter, and during summer they mark the moment of preparing for the hardships of winter. Man has always been, and still is, though of course to a lesser extent, dependent on the seasons, and the awareness of time, the moment in which he finds himself, has determined his survival. The pavilion is an instrument that allows one to position oneself in relation to time.