The Szkuta Czerska, a medieval ship discovered in 2009 and recovered in 2018 near the ruins of the Castle of the Dukes of Mazovia in Czersk, will have its own museum. The State Archaeological Museum in Warsaw and the Warsaw Branch of the Association of Polish Architects are organizing a competition to develop an architectural concept for the Szkuta and Urzecze Museum in Czersk, along with a comprehensive site development plan.

The competition is a design-build competition, limited in scope, and conducted in a single stage.

Due to the topographical conditions and the functional and programmatic requirements of the future project, the competition site has been divided into three areas: Area 1—upper terrace, Area 2—lower terrace, Area 3—slope area.The museum building must be located on the upper terrace of the site. The lower terrace is planned to house an outdoor events area and a public recreational space, while the slope area is to be landscaped with greenery and serve as a pedestrian link between the first and second areas.

The project will be located within the boundaries of the Warsaw Protected Landscape Area. The MWKZ’s recommendations indicate, among other things, that the museum pavilion should not dominate the landscape —its height must not exceed the tree line.

Competition entries will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

Criteria of primary importance (within this group, the criteria listed below are of equal weight):

• The attractiveness and originality of the proposed architectural and site development solutions.
• The effectiveness and appropriateness of the spatial, functional, and programmatic solutions for the building and site development, including the logic of the relationships between the program elements.
• How well the building fits into the existing urban context, as well as its compositional, functional, visual, and transportation connections with the surroundings.
• The use of solutions designed for people with special needs—accessibility and inclusivity.
• The use of environmentally friendly and energy-efficient solutions, as well as their effectiveness and appropriateness.

Criteria of secondary importance:

• The feasibility and economic optimization of the adopted solutions in relation to the project’s construction costs and its operating and maintenance costs.

For more information, see the contest rules

Prizes

• First Prize — 80,000 PLN net and an invitation to negotiate a single-source contract for the provision of services based on the selected competition entry
• Second Prize — 60,000 PLN net
• Third Prize — 40,000 PLN net
• Two Honorable Mentions — 20,000 PLN net each

Timeline

• Deadline for submitting requests for clarification of the competition rules (Round 1): August 24, 2026
• Deadline for submitting applications for admission to the competition: by August 28, 2026
• Deadline for notifying participants of their admission to the competition: by September 22, 2026
• Deadline for submitting requests for clarification of the contest rules (Round 2): by December 14, 2026
• Deadline for submitting competition entries in electronic form: by January 15, 2027, at 3:00 p.m.
• Deadline for submitting competition entries in physical form: by January 19, 2027, at 3:00 p.m.
• Date of announcement of competition results: February 3, 2027

Competition Jury

• Prof. Bolesław Stelmach — Chair of the Competition Jury, architect, SARP Warsaw Branch
• Andrzej Jurkiewicz — reporting judge, architect, SARP Warsaw Branch
• Gaweł Tyrała — assistant to the reporting judge, architect, SARP Warsaw Branch
• Dr. Wojciech Brzeziński — Director of the State Archaeological Museum in Warsaw, judge representing the organizer
• Tomasz Rosłonek — Deputy Director of the Department of Ownership Supervision and Investments, Marshal’s Office of the Mazovia Province in Warsaw, judge representing the organizer
• Marcin Dawidowicz — Mazovia Provincial Conservator of Historic Monuments, judge representing the organizer
• Michał Aniszewski — Head of the Archaeological Wood Research and Conservation Team, State Archaeological Museum in Warsaw, judge representing the organizer
• Łukasz Maurycy Stanaszek — Head of the Anthropology Department, State Archaeological Museum in Warsaw, judge representing the organizer
• Monika Gołębiowska — Director’s Representative for Investments, State Archaeological Museum in Warsaw, judge representing the organizer
  
  
• Zuzanna Bujacz-Jaworska — Alternate Competition Judge, Architect, SARP Warsaw Branch
• Rafał Mroczkowski — competition secretary, landscape architect, SARP Warsaw Branch