Krakow, July 7, 2025
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Recognizing the values stemming from accessibility as inalienable, I took steps to equip the Academy of Fine Arts building at 9 Smoleńsk Street with a set of elevators and platforms. The plan to install one of the elevators in the historic stairwell sparked protests from employees of the Department of Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art, the Department of Industrial Design, and members of Kraków organizations dedicated to preserving the city’s architectural heritage, who advocate for the integrity of the stairwell as our shared cultural heritage and propose installing the elevator in an external shaft facing the courtyard.
Caring for our heritage does not give us the right to neglect thinking about for whom it is to be preserved. Using the main entrance to the building, being able to move between floors, and admiring the beauty of the modernist staircase are privileges available to everyone, regardless of their accessibility needs.
It is essential to act in accordance with the principle of social inclusion and to position the glass elevator in such a way that it fully integrates with the building’s internal circulation and allows everyone to admire the beauty of its architecture together. This will enable every user to feel like a full member of the academic community. Without meeting this condition, the elevator system design will be a failure.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I’m not looking for a fight. Nor am I in the habit of sticking to my position in the face of objections. I’ve reconsidered the matter, but for now, I’m sticking to my position because, so far, none of the alternative designs sufficiently meets the principles of inclusion. Before I make a final decision on the elevator’s location, I want to listen to the voices of the people for whom we are carrying out this project, because their perspective has not been heard clearly enough in our discussion. I am looking for people who will support me in designing the elevator in such a way that it becomes an example of care for our shared heritage, accessible to all. However, I do not and will not consent to circumstances that foster exclusion and stigmatization.
To minimize the risk of making a bad decision, I recommended planning the elevator project in such a way as to allow time to make the decision a little later.
/-/ Prof. Andrzej Bednarczyk
Rector