ZAMEK Culture Centre

In 2025, ZAMEK Culture Center was a beneficiary of Task 1 in the project “Universal Design of Culture – Accessibility in Cultural Institutions”, which yielded a self-assessment and an accessibility implementation strategy.

One of the outcomes of our work on these documents is the initiative “Accessibility From the Get-Go”. Here, the following needs are approached as a priority:

•         fostering independence and choice in accessing culture,

•         minimizing the need for alternative access,

•         accessibility-oriented programme development,

•         expanding the collection of accessible cultural texts.

In 2026:

1.       As part of the 19th Ethno Port Festival, audiences will be able to take advantage of the Accessible Stage, a venue of outdoor concerts with interpretation into Polish Sign Language, audio description, and live captions. Also, we are going organize outdoor animation activities with live Polish Sign Language interpretation and audio description. In addition, the Adam Mickiewicz Park area will be equipped with a portable induction loop and an accessible raised platform for persons with special needs in terms of vision, mobility, and sensory perception.

2.       We will organize multisensory events accompanying an exhibition at the pf Gallery of Photography. A series of dedicated workshops will explore experiencing the show by means of various senses. We are also going to create tactile and scent-based materials as well as audio stories.

3.       We will develop an accessible profile overview of our institution.

4.       We will improve the digital accessibility of the Media Library, where we present cultural texts prepared by the ZAMEK Culture Centre team.

5.       We will purchase monitors to display accessible content within the premises of ZAMEK Culture Centre.

6.       We will purchase audio description receivers.

All above activities will be carried out in collaboration with numerous persons with particular needs. This is due to the fact that the audiences in question have multiple interests and vary in terms of their  social and economic background. Depending on the format of individual events, as well as given the historical nature of our premises, the audiences and patrons who participate in the daily life of CK ZAMEK are highly diverse.

We collaborate with and invite persons with special needs to be involved across all accessibility domains outlined in the Accessible Culture Model: sight, hearing, mobility, comprehension, and sensation. In various situations (depending on the activity in question), we assess the degree of participation  various groups/individuals with special needs and elderly persons to be high or moderately high for the entire institution.

At this point, our priority is to broaden contacts with audiences with special needs in terms of vision, comprehension (including d/Deaf persons), and mobility. It is precisely on improving access in these areas that we will focus in the near future.

The main objective of the project is to increase the participation of persons with special needs and elderly persons in the life of the institution, prioritizing choice, independence, co-creation, and understanding of its activities. We are committed to creating a space at ZAMEK Culture Centre that is open to building narratives of accessibility through cultural undertakings.

“Accessibility From the Get-Go” places particular emphasis on improving two stages of the audience journey at ZAMEK Culture Centre: obtaining information and experiencing culture through the institution.

The total budget for the “Accessibility From the Get-Go” initiative amounts to PLN 284,250.00, of which:

•    PLN 200,000.00 comes from EU funds,

•    PLN 80,000.00 is own contribution of ZAMEK Culture Centre,

•    PLN 4,250.00 is the projected revenue.

“Accessibility From the Get-Go” launched on January 1st, 2026, and will conclude November 30th, 2026.

#EuropeanFunds

At this institution, the National Center for Culture is implementing the project “Universal Design of Culture – Accessibility in Cultural Institutions”; the amount of EU funding for the project is PLN 24,503,901.40.

A colorful illustration. It shows various people in front of the castle. Among them, you can see a woman on a bicycle, a man in a wheelchair, children smelling flowers, and a family sitting at a café table.

The illustration was created by Antonina Kieliszewska.