The most recent edition of the event took place on April 24–26, 2026, in Kazimierz Dolny and was organized jointly with the Romanian Cultural Institute. The meetings and workshops brought together specialists from Poland and Romania involved in education about the built environment. This year’s program focused on the theme of street participation, combined with issues facing small towns.

The program included workshops and discussions, as well as activities engaging the local community. In addition to workshops for participants scattered throughout the town, it invited residents to interact in public spaces. It facilitated an exchange of experiences between experts from Poland and Romania and representatives of Kazimierz who were familiar with the town’s existing educational offerings.

The small town became a laboratory for action. The event program provided an opportunity to explore the town’s multicultural heritage, its historic urban fabric, and its unique landscape. A key element was a series of meetings with architects, artists, and educators, as well as a presentation of the winners of the international Golden Cubes Awards competition. An open debate on architectural education in schools also played a significant role, combined with an exhibition of the “Shaping Space” program, organized by the Chamber of Architects of the Republic of Poland.

The activities held in the market square were open to the local community and encouraged residents to spontaneously join in the proposed activities. The exhibition summarizing the workshops, presented at the SARP Architects’ House, was open to the public free of charge.

The program also included an exploration of the artistic history of Kazimierz Dolny. Participants had the opportunity to visit the Michalak Manor and learn about the town’s two periods of prosperity, presented in the context of economic, social, and spatial changes. Another highlight of the program was a visit to the 16th-century granary housing the Natural History Department of the Vistula River Museum, where visitors could see preserved authentic elements of the building’s historic structure, including the roof truss.

A total of 60 people participated in the workshops, working in four groups of fifteen. At most locations, two cycles of activities were conducted. The activities held in the town square were particularly popular, with approximately 100 people participating—including those who joined spontaneously. As part of a street survey, 29 people—including both adults and children—who were visiting the city independently of the event program filled out questionnaires.

Participation is a process through which individuals and groups connected to a given space collaboratively create knowledge about that place. It allows for the inclusion of diverse perspectives, experiences, and user needs in the design process, supporting decision-making that takes into account the local social, cultural, and spatial context. It can be implemented at both the local and supra-local levels, taking the form of dialogue, co-design, public consultation, or educational activities. Carefully selected communication tools play a key role in this process, facilitating the exchange of knowledge and the building of relationships among participants.

The goal of the event was to develop and test methods and tools that support open design processes, engaging the local community, residents, and people who temporarily use urban spaces.

During the workshops, various methods of communication and collaboration were explored, analyzing their potential for fostering dialogue between designers and users of urban spaces. Particular attention was paid to participatory and consultative methods that can be used in both educational activities and design practice.

The exhibition summarizing the Forum presented the methods and tools for participatory activities that were developed and tested during the workshops. The solutions presented are open-ended and can be adapted for use in other small towns and in various social and spatial contexts.

The starting point for these initiatives was cultural heritage, understood as a vital educational resource and a tool for building spatial awareness. The historic urban layout of Kazimierz Dolny, which is closely intertwined with the landscape, served as a basis for observing and analyzing the processes of spatial formation and for reflecting on contemporary challenges of sustainable development.

The city’s architecture and urban space were treated as active educational tools, enabling an exploration of the relationship between heritage and contemporary design practice. An analysis of historical building forms, ways of using public spaces, and the relationship between the natural and cultural environments revealed mechanisms that are also relevant to contemporary educational processes.

In this context, Kazimierz Dolny became a research model for many phenomena characteristic of small towns. Its space—historically layered yet simultaneously undergoing contemporary transformations—served as a living architectural laboratory where it was possible to test educational, participatory, and design methods related to broader issues of shaping the built environment.

One of the tools used during the Forum was a street survey based on unconventional questions, such as: “How would you describe Kazimierz to a visitor from outer space?” or “Which way is Emilcin?” The humorous format helped break the ice and encouraged residents and tourists to talk about the city, its public spaces, and their everyday experiences of using them.

Another key element of the activities was the “Ephemeral House”—a temporary information and consultation point located in the market square. Designed for quick assembly and disassembly and inspired by ephemeral market structures, it became a place for meetings, conversations, and the exchange of opinions among Forum participants, residents, and visitors to the city.

The structure served both an exhibition and a social purpose. It showcased the results of workshop activities, but above all, it created a space for expressing opinions, observations, and experiences related to the city. The Ephemeral House demonstrated that even simple, temporary architecture can effectively foster dialogue and revitalize public space.

During the street survey, each participant posted their responses in a designated area of the Ephemeral House, illustrating a network of social connections and a diversity of feelings. The activity was designed to strengthen users’ sense of shared responsibility for the atmosphere of the space and to foster connections between users and educators.

The home of Maria and Jerzy Kuncewicz, located on the edge of the Kazimierz forest and known as Kuncewiczówka or Willa pod Wiewiórką, became the venue for workshops exploring the relationship between memory, imagination, and space. The starting point was the figure of Maria Kuncewiczowa, who, through performative storytelling, invited participants to explore their own memories associated with places and to reflect on the emotions, scents, colors, and experiences that shape individual perceptions of space.

The workshops focused on questions about how we experience architecture, how we talk about places, and how space can inspire the creation of stories. The writer’s house and its surroundings served as material for observation, creative interpretation, and artistic activities. Using storytelling tools, participants described selected places, made drawings, and created short literary pieces, combining narrative, creative writing, and mindful observation of space.

The workshops resulted in six original books documenting the course of the activities and featuring selected texts and drawings created during the visit to Maria Kuncewiczowa’s home.

Facilitators: Alexandra Mihailciuc and Hanna Zwierzchowska

The workshop focused on the concept of regenerative actions, based on the premise that a place’s development should strengthen its social, cultural, and natural potential. The starting point for the discussion was the ideas developed by, among others, Anna Pollock and Bill Reed, which view a place as a living system of interdependencies between people, nature, landscape, history, and architecture.

Participants analyzed how design, tourism, and community initiatives can address the needs of various user groups while supporting local ecosystems. Attention was drawn to the need to move away from solutions focused exclusively on a single target group toward an approach that takes into account the interdependencies among residents, visitors, and the natural environment.

The workshop was inspired by examples of initiatives in the fields of tourism, architecture, and local development that apply the principles of regenerative thinking in various parts of the world. Drawing on these examples, participants developed their own action plans for Kazimierz Dolny and its surroundings, applying the knowledge they gained during their stay in the town.

Although the short duration of the workshop did not allow for a full assessment of local conditions, the resulting ideas highlighted the potential inherent in the relationships between the town, its residents, tourists, and the natural environment. In many proposals, the Vistula River played a significant role as an element integrating the landscape, the community, and local identity. Themes related to art and the region’s natural resources—such as water and the tree cover—also recurred, as these were seen as key elements for the area’s future development.

Facilitator: Marcin Szałek

The workshop took place at the Trzeci Księżyc restaurant.
Why Trzeci Księżyc? Because here, everyone will find what they’re looking for
and be transported back in time to wherever they wish. Trzeci Księżyc is a place situated outside the current reality of Kazimierz. In the host’s words: “We have come from the past. We are guided by Kazimierz’s Genius Loci.”

Host: Tomek Małolepszy

The workshop focused on the relationship between space, nature, and human well-being. The starting point was a reflection on how space can respond to human needs and support development, relationship-building, and a sense of belonging. The meeting took place around a shared table at MYdomek, whose name evoked the idea of community and acting from a “we” perspective rather than an “I” one.

Participants worked on visions of public spaces inspired by Kazimierz Dolny, as well as their own ideas for places that foster integration, relaxation, and personal growth. Particular attention was paid to the value of play as an essential element of social life. The inspiration came from Johan Huizinga’s concept of “Homo Ludens,” which identifies play as one of the sources of culture, creativity, and the development of civilization.

The design process was based on methods of dialogue and communication inspired by Nonviolent Communication (NVC). Observations of the place, the emotions accompanying them, and the needs and values that could be reflected in the space were analyzed. The project also utilized emotion cards developed by psychologist Katarzyna Miller as a tool to support reflection on individual experiences of the place.

The workshops resulted in concepts for spaces open to a variety of activities, learning, and spontaneous discovery. Many proposals featured the theme of alternative paths and places that allow for free exploration, the development of imagination, and building a relationship with nature. Attention was drawn to the potential for creating urban educational spaces—experiential laboratories that combine social, natural, and cultural functions.

The process was conducted in stages, beginning with an observation of the site and the question: “How do I feel here?” Participants then reflected on their own feelings: “What do I feel, and what experiences does this evoke in me?” and, in the next step, considered: “What values and needs am I seeking in this space?” The workshop utilized emotion cards to help participants identify both positive and challenging emotional states. It was emphasized that the full experience of a place encompasses the entire spectrum of emotions, and their coexistence allows for a better understanding of the relationship between people and space, as well as the values that should be reflected in its design.

“Designing public spaces is more of an ongoing dialogue with nature, with people, and with time,” reads the slogan from the MY-map—a collage of inspirations with an open-ended scenario… Illustrations of a route along the canal, through play areas, to a scenic overlook by the water and soothing sunsets…

Facilitators: Jagna Badowska & Alexandru Belenyi

“Panta rhei. The physical experience of the river. Kazimierz and its two rivers: Brother Grodarz and Sister Vistula. What are they like, how do they change, and what do they tell us about our situation in the world—in terms of urban planning, design, society, and our personal psychology? How can we, by focusing our attention on the river, find our place in the world and within ourselves? How, by focusing our attention on the river, can we begin to think about the urban planning and architecture of our own lives?”

The meeting addressed the issue of water’s presence in the context of the future human habitat and was conducted within the framework of the relationship between the Grodarz River and the Vistula (the “brother” canal and the “sister” river).

The workshop began with a study walk along the dry riverbed of the Grodarz through the entire center of Kazimierz to its mouth on the Vistula. Participants experienced walking along the bottom of the dry riverbed, searching for the few drops of water collecting at the outlets of air conditioning units.

The city was observed from an unusual, low vantage point, where the wheels of cars and the shoes of passersby were at or above eye level. The hidden qualities of the urban interior of the dry canal were revealed, highlighting not only the beauty of the ever-changing views, hanging gardens, and sensory experiences, but also the potential of this space as a place for meeting, relaxation, recreation, and commerce.

At the same time, a longing for water remained strongly felt. The question arose: what would happen if the sight of a dry riverbed, such as the Grodarz, were to become a common sight in European cities in the future?

Armed with this experience, the participants moved on to the second, creative part of the workshop. Images of water were created using the traditional Japanese Suminagashi technique, which involves painting with ink on the surface of water. This method is extremely sensitive to environmental conditions—the type of water, atmospheric pressure, air movement, breathing, or the presence of other people. The resulting works were therefore unique, and their final form was the result of the interaction between the artist, the material, and the environment. The creative process became an exercise in mindfulness and openness to unpredictability and the influence of factors beyond the artist’s control.

Facilitators: Marek Piwowarski & Irina Tava

The workshop focused on intangible cultural heritage, art in public spaces, and the relationship between individual experiences of a place and the communal dimension of the city. The starting point was the metaphor of “parallel worlds”—the belief that each person perceives and experiences space in a different way, creating their own center of experiences, emotions, and meanings. These individual perspectives meet and intertwine within the city’s space, collectively shaping its identity.

At the Ulotny Domek on Kazimierz’s market square, participants were invited to collaboratively create a large-format drawing that served simultaneously as a mural, a map of experiences, and a visual record of the gathering. The work was inspired by observations of the market square, everyday city life, and personal associations with Kazimierz Dolny.

The emerging artwork took shape gradually as more people joined the project. Over 100 people—Forum participants, residents, and random passersby of all ages—were involved in its creation. The creative process was accompanied by conversations about life in Kazimierz Dolny, its unique character, local identity, and the challenges the town faces today. The result was a collaborative work that captures the many perspectives and experiences that converged in a single space for a moment.

Facilitators: Yoanna Symbiosis & Adela Trif

Curators: Jagna Badowska, Hanna Zwierzchowska
Content and Organizational Coordination: Katarzyna Domagalska, Karolina Scheibe-Skorczyk
Assistant: Michał Łukasik
Workshop authors, moderation, and facilitation: Jagna Badowska, Alexandru Belenyi, Tomasz Małolepszy, Alexandra Mihailciuc, Marek Piwowarski, Yoanna Symbiosis (Joanna Gwarek), Marcin Szałek, Iarina Tava, Adela Trif, Hanna Zwierzchowska
Organizer and producer of the Forum: National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning
Communications: Dominik Witaszczyk, Katarzyna Nestorowicz, Aleksandra Zaszewska
International partner: Romanian Cultural Institute
Partners: Vistula River Museum in Kazimierz Dolny, Chamber of Architects of the Republic of Poland, Kazimierz Dolny, International Union of Architects
Media Sponsor: kazimierzdolny.pl
Concept for the Architectural Education Forum series: NIAIU General Education Team

This project was co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage