Visit Marcelina – How We Build Accessibility at Villa Decius 07.10.2025
Sensitivity, Accessibility, Community. Summary of the October 5, 2025 Event
This past Sunday was one of the most important days of the year for us. On October 5, Villa Decius hosted the final edition of this year’s “Visit Marcelina” series – this time in the form of an Open Day, accessible to all residents of Kraków, regardless of age, language, individual needs, or personal experience.
This past Sunday was one of the most important days of the year for us. On October 5, Villa Decius hosted the final edition of this year’s “Visit Marcelina” series – this time in the form of an Open Day, accessible to all residents of Kraków, regardless of age, language, individual needs, or personal experience.
Visit Marcelina – How We Build Accessibility at Villa Decius
Sensitivity, Accessibility, Community. Summary of the October 5, 2025 Event
Last Sunday was one of the most important days of the year for us. On October 5, Villa Decius hosted the final edition of this year’s Visit Marcelina series – this time in the form of an Open Day, open to all residents of Kraków, regardless of age, language, needs, or experience.
We believe that a cultural institution of the City of Kraków should be accessible to everyone – and accessibility, understood as sensitivity to the needs of our audiences, became the core of this event.
Kraków is a diverse city. Our priority is to respond to this diversity with care and respect. For this year’s Open Day, we focused on communities with particular needs – older adults, Deaf people (users of both Polish and Ukrainian Sign Language), highly sensitive people, families with children, and individuals who are only beginning to engage with cultural institutions. We want everyone to feel invited and welcome – not only during special events, but every day.
Among the activities that stood out were:
Guided tours of Villa Decius in Polish, Ukrainian, and with interpretation into Polish and Ukrainian Sign Language
Self-guided tours with an audioguide, open to everyone without registration
A historical walk through the Zwierzyniec district, showcasing the local heritage around the Villa
An intergenerational mosaic workshop for participants aged 10 to 110 – a space for shared creativity
The detective walk The Mystery of Justus in Ukrainian – full of riddles and adventure for children
A psychological workshop The Courage of Sensitivity – dedicated to understanding and embracing emotions, creating space for conversation about mental well-being
This day was also an opportunity for us to reflect on the direction we want to grow. We listen, we learn, and we improve – so that we can continue building a welcoming, open, and culturally rich space. We believe that accessibility is a process that requires attentiveness, flexibility, and collaboration with residents.
We thank everyone who joined us – for your presence, conversations, questions, smiles, and feedback. Thanks to you, Villa Decius remains a meaningful place of encounters.
We also wish to express our heartfelt thanks to the team behind the event:
To Professor Dominika Kasprowicz, Director of Villa Decius, for her years of work building a program open to all Kraków residents, and for supporting the team throughout every stage of the project – with both expert guidance and thoughtful, responsible leadership.
To Aleksandra Szymańska Niekłań and Anna Słupek for their dedicated project coordination – from concept to delivery – and for their care for every participant.
To Joanna Klimczak for her exceptional sensitivity and deep knowledge of cultural heritage, which she shares with every visitor to Villa Decius.
To Anna Brągiel, who leads the area of accessibility in our team, for her ongoing efforts to make our institution friendly and open to every resident of Kraków.
The event was part of the project Stories. Wola Justowska – Past and Present, funded by the Museum of Polish History as part of the Patriotism of Tomorrow program. The event was organized in cooperation with Fundacja IB Polska – operator of the Multicultural Centre in Kraków.
Last Sunday was one of the most important days of the year for us. On October 5, Villa Decius hosted the final edition of this year’s Visit Marcelina series – this time in the form of an Open Day, open to all residents of Kraków, regardless of age, language, needs, or experience.
We believe that a cultural institution of the City of Kraków should be accessible to everyone – and accessibility, understood as sensitivity to the needs of our audiences, became the core of this event.
Kraków is a diverse city. Our priority is to respond to this diversity with care and respect. For this year’s Open Day, we focused on communities with particular needs – older adults, Deaf people (users of both Polish and Ukrainian Sign Language), highly sensitive people, families with children, and individuals who are only beginning to engage with cultural institutions. We want everyone to feel invited and welcome – not only during special events, but every day.
Among the activities that stood out were:
Guided tours of Villa Decius in Polish, Ukrainian, and with interpretation into Polish and Ukrainian Sign Language
Self-guided tours with an audioguide, open to everyone without registration
A historical walk through the Zwierzyniec district, showcasing the local heritage around the Villa
An intergenerational mosaic workshop for participants aged 10 to 110 – a space for shared creativity
The detective walk The Mystery of Justus in Ukrainian – full of riddles and adventure for children
A psychological workshop The Courage of Sensitivity – dedicated to understanding and embracing emotions, creating space for conversation about mental well-being
This day was also an opportunity for us to reflect on the direction we want to grow. We listen, we learn, and we improve – so that we can continue building a welcoming, open, and culturally rich space. We believe that accessibility is a process that requires attentiveness, flexibility, and collaboration with residents.
We thank everyone who joined us – for your presence, conversations, questions, smiles, and feedback. Thanks to you, Villa Decius remains a meaningful place of encounters.
We also wish to express our heartfelt thanks to the team behind the event:
To Professor Dominika Kasprowicz, Director of Villa Decius, for her years of work building a program open to all Kraków residents, and for supporting the team throughout every stage of the project – with both expert guidance and thoughtful, responsible leadership.
To Aleksandra Szymańska Niekłań and Anna Słupek for their dedicated project coordination – from concept to delivery – and for their care for every participant.
To Joanna Klimczak for her exceptional sensitivity and deep knowledge of cultural heritage, which she shares with every visitor to Villa Decius.
To Anna Brągiel, who leads the area of accessibility in our team, for her ongoing efforts to make our institution friendly and open to every resident of Kraków.
The event was part of the project Stories. Wola Justowska – Past and Present, funded by the Museum of Polish History as part of the Patriotism of Tomorrow program. The event was organized in cooperation with Fundacja IB Polska – operator of the Multicultural Centre in Kraków.