Architecture firm NM Architekci has won an international competition to design a permanent
exhibition space for the new Polish Army Museum in Warsaw.

Announced at a press conference held at the Association of Polish Architects, the decision was based on functional, spatial, aesthetic and educational considerations, followed by the financial credibility of the project, according to the secretary of the jury, Marek Szaniawski.

Costing an estimated PLN 250m (US$62.7m, €57m, £50.5m) and due to open in November 2020, the new museum will be housed inside the Warsaw Citadel – a 19th century fortress in the city which served as a prison into the late 1930s.

NM Architekci's concept divides the exhibition space into three "sightseeing paths". Either short, medium or long, visitors will be able to take in the exhibition at their own pace, with each path offering a different perspective of the exhibitions.

"The exhibits have been treated with the greatest of respect, almost as if they were works of art," said a statement from the selection jury.

"The concept views the 'authentic' exhibits as the most important element of the exhibition, and these will be presented in consciously designed, illuminated rooms that will serve to emphasise their unique and individual character."

A striking feature of the plan, which will represent PLN 45m (US$11.3m, €10.3m, £9.1m) of the overall project budget, will see dioramas act as "historical freeze frames", that help to provide a visual break from potential information overload, while also stimulating the imagination. The renderings produced suggest that one of these will be a life-sized cavalry charge of mounted hussars with lances.

NM Architekci's concept also makes minimal use of lighting, sound and multimedia, accentuating, it said, the "air of twilight and mystery" of the Citadel itself.