Our mentors, Prof. Roman Kozłowski and Prof. Łukasz Bratasz, are often invited as experts in the field of conservation prevention to consult various projects, including such important ones as the construction of the new seat of the National Archives in Krakow.
Thanks to their efforts, the first passive storage for collections in Poland was built, which maintains appropriate conditions (especially low temperature) without the support of climate control systems. Thanks to the kindness of Marcin Sieja and Paweł Ząbczyński from the Archives and under their guidance, we had the opportunity to visit their workplace and listen to how they solved technical issues resulting from the best care for the collected documents.
The building, according to the recommendations of our professors, was divided into two parts – a storage part with collections and a utility part with offices and reading rooms. This solution allows for extremely effective control of the climate in the storage part only through the appropriate structure of the building, and additionally protects the collections against the risks associated with fire, malfunction of climate control systems, etc.
It is extremely important because the collection contains, among other things, the foundation act of the city of Krakow from 1257!
It was an amazing experience to see the results of scientific research translate into reality. And not so long ago, we stood in helmets at a construction site!
