2025 Warsaw
It all began with a modest chocolate and caramel shop, which Karol Ernest Wedel opened in Warsaw in 1851. This small beginning sparked the creation of one of the most well-known and beloved confectionery brands in Poland. Generation after generation, the Wedel family grew their business with passion and commitment, turning it into a legendary brand whose chocolate treats still bring people joy today.
Today, the E.Wedel factory in Warsaw’s Kamionek district is not only a place where sweets are made, it is the heart of a story that deserved to be told in a completely new way. A story full of tradition, family values, discoveries and flavors. A story that has matured over the years to finally take on a new form in September 2024 – the E.Wedel Chocolate Factory Museum.
But this was never meant to be just another museum. The Wedel brand had a clear plan. They wanted to create a space where:
This was meant to be a place where the legacy of the E.Wedel brand meets modern technology and playful learning. A place that tells the story of chocolate with care, respect, and a touch of magic, because it is magic that gives every chocolate story its sweet ending.
How do you make visitors fully immerse themselves in this experience, feel it with all their senses, and remember it for a long time? This was the challenge faced by the E.Wedel brand, together with the WWAA architectural studio (working in a consortium), which invited A+V to co-create this unique journey and entrusted us with developing the audiovisual concept.
The E.Wedel Chocolate Factory Museum is a multisensory space where all senses are fully engaged. It does not only educate and entertain visitors of all ages, but above all, it allows people to see chocolate from a broader perspective – as a result of passion, tradition, craftsmanship, and a complex process. Thanks to modern technology, the exhibition comes to life, and the story of chocolate becomes multidimensional.
At the heart of this story are the people, the Wedel family. Their biographies and values form the emotional foundation of the entire exhibition. It is they – Karol, Emil, and Jan – who were the heart of the factory: a confectioner, an alchemist, and a social activist. Each of them cared deeply about making chocolate not only from the best ingredients, but also in the spirit of respect for craftsmanship, people, and tradition. The visitors’ journey leads them through the next stages of how chocolate is made, from cocoa beans to the finished chocolate bar, showing just how long and fascinating this journey is.
When designing the audiovisual systems for the E.Wedel Chocolate Factory Museum, we focused on bringing to life a story created by WWAA – that would resonate, move, and surprise. This story was divided across several levels of the building, with each floor revealing a different chapter of the chocolate world. Behind the scenes, a comprehensive multimedia system manages everything, from displaying content and delivering precise sound, to intelligently controlling the entire exhibition.
LEVELS -1 and 0
On level -1, guests can admire a unique model of the entire factory building, with narration enriched by sound. There are also three chocolate-shaped screens embedded in the ticket counter wall that dynamically display welcoming messages. This is where the multisensory journey through the chocolate world begins.
The ground floor of the museum is mainly the explorer’s zone. Here, using screens of various sizes and audio systems, visitors can learn more about cocoa beans, how they are sourced and prepared. An impressive jungle installation and a hidden animation placed inside a giant jar allow guests to feel the atmosphere of the place. This feeling is further enhanced by a virtual guide, a woman from Ghana who appears on a vertical 85-inch screen, life-sized, like a hologram behind glass.
Visitors can also peek through mysterious openings in wooden crates to see what the cocoa bean fermentation process looks like under a microscope. These are small viewing windows with 15-inch screens, allowing people to observe what is normally invisible to the naked eye.
This space also features an African village recreated using authentic materials and fabrics from Ghana, along with backlit photos on lightboxes. The sound changes when the video featuring the Ghanaian woman starts playing.
LEVEL 1
On this floor of the exhibition, visitors can interact the most with modern audiovisual technologies, which combine storytelling, visuals and sound into one smooth experience. One of the most impressive points of the exhibition is, without a doubt, the so-called “magic wall”, a large interactive wall that has become the heart of the entire museum. It is here that visitors can almost “activate” the chocolate-making process with their own hands, by touching, pressing and moving physical elements on the wall.
The image is generated by four precisely synchronized projectors and covers almost 18 meters in length and over 3 meters in height, creating one consistent, animated world. In the background, characteristic production sounds can be heard, which react to the presence of visitors. The sound system includes three directional ceiling-mounted speakers and seven built-in loudspeakers. In this space, AV technology truly shows its full potential.
This floor also features a display of gearwheels. Although the large cogwheels do not move, thanks to the precisely placed ceiling-mounted sound system, visitors can hear the characteristic mechanical sound of the gears shifting.
When speaking about the chocolate-making process, it is impossible not to mention the conche. Visitors can look inside a large tank where the chocolate is being “mixed.” The image is displayed across six 55-inch monitors, built horizontally (with screens facing upward) into a custom structure. Each button activates a different flavor, a different stage, a different texture.
In a metal conche, visitors can peek through a small inspection window to see on a display screen how the chocolate blends with jam. This subtle but effective detail connects the history of the machines with a modern digital narrative.
There is also space for fun. The “chocolate cubes” form a large interactive floor measuring around 7 by 3.5 meters, which resembles a giant chocolate bar and visitors can jump on it! Each of the 18 interactive tiles triggers a different sound. When pressed together, they create a full “Symphony of Flavour” made up of beatbox samples. Children love this feature, but adults also cannot walk past it without giving it a try.
Here, we also meet a virtual guide who shares his story – the Master Confectioner is presented on a vertical 85-inch screen installed in a custom frame along with a speaker system.
LEVEL 2
The final level of the exhibition pays tribute to one of Wedel’s most iconic products, Ptasie Mleczko®. This space has been designed for relaxation, play and imagination with soft sofas, a paper sky hanging overhead, and mirrors that visually expand the space. It is not about speed here, but about immersing yourself in the lightness promised by every bite of fluffy marshmallow. The Ptasie Mleczko® area is filled with soft light and gentle sound. Twelve speakers hidden discreetly in paper clouds are invisible to visitors, but they make the entire space more pleasant.
Here, we also hear another story – this time from Mrs. Torcikowa, who tells the story of the famous Wedel hand decorated wafer in dark chocolate. Her story is shown on a 55-inch horizontal screen, and thanks to directional sound (soundshower), you can only hear her voice while sitting on one of two comfortable sofas, without disturbing the rest of the space. It is a surprisingly precise experience.
Right next to it, there is a detailed model of the Kamionek district in Warsaw. This 10-by-5-meter installation represents the neighborhood that Wedel has been part of for decades. The model comes to life: a tram glides along the tracks, lights twinkle, and city sounds echo from miniature speakers hidden in the buildings. Everything is operated using a panel of buttons and a local management system, allowing visitors to feel the atmosphere of historic Praga Południe.
The museum also features a cinema room, where a film about the factory’s history is shown. The projection comes to life thanks to an ultra-short throw projector, and the sound fills the space using powerful speakers at the front and back of the room, along with a subwoofer placed under the seating area.
In this area, visitors also have a chance to design their own packaging for Ptasie Mleczko® by creating a layout, using prepared visual elements and custom text. The Designer’s Table is an interactive station with ten touch screens embedded in its surface. In this way, technology meets creativity and gives visitors real influence over the brand’s shape.
And if you are interested in the world of design, at the end you can listen to the story of the Designer, the final virtual guide who shows that the history of the Wedel brand is also a story of creativity, and of a certain famous boy on a zebra.
INTEGRATED EXHIBITION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Managing the exhibition at the E.Wedel Chocolate Factory Museum is carried out using a dedicated, integrated control system. This system makes it possible to operate the entire installation (from multimedia devices to lighting) from a single touch panel.
The intuitive application, with an interface in Polish, is available on tablets and a technical computer. It was designed by A+V engineers with various users in mind, from museum guides to technical service teams. Thanks to this, operating the exhibition is simple, flexible, and well adapted to the daily rhythm of the museum. The possibility of remote access and predefined schedules makes everyday management easier and allows for quick responses to operational needs.
LIGHTING CONTROL SYSTEM
The lighting control system for the exhibition has been integrated with the central multimedia management system. This allows full control over the lighting – either from a tablet or computer application, or using keypads located on all floors.
Thanks to the use of lighting fixtures in the DALI standard, it is possible to flexibly group and control individual lighting zones. This solution makes it possible to dynamically adjust the lighting setup for different events and to synchronize the lighting with the other elements of the exhibition.
The E.Wedel Chocolate Factory Museum operates continuously, seven days a week, offering visitors a complete experience every day. To ensure the continuous operation of all systems and a fast response when needed, after the implementation phase the client decided to begin a long-term cooperation with A+V through an SLA service. Thanks to this, the museum can count on ongoing technical support and efficient maintenance of all installation components.
In the end, a unique, multi-sensory center was created. It moves away from sterile museum halls and traditional exhibits, and offes a space for discovering, touching, testing, and experiencing the chocolate-making process.
– During the project, we shared many great moments with A+V. Just imagine, in March, we were still walking through the building in construction helmets and safety gear, and by August, we were already welcoming the first visitors. That is an incredibly short time to complete such a complex undertaking. It was an intense and shared journey, full of twists, inspiration, and valuable lessons. This experience helped us build a true partnership. I have no doubt that our project will serve as an excellent reference for A+V – says Robert Zydel, Director of the E.Wedel Chocolate Factory Museum.
In this project, technology does not replace storytelling, it brings the story to life. Thanks to technology, the story of the Wedel brand becomes a real experience in which every guest plays an active part. It is a great example of how well-designed AV solutions can breathe life into a space and make even a familiar story feel completely new
WWAA, Vidifilm, Lunapark, Audac, Samsung, Crestron, Extron, Adeo, Brightsign, Edbak, Netgear, Iiyama, Pioneer, Epson, NEC, Beetronics, Ultrasonic Audio, Seagate, Lenovo, Visual Productions, QNAP, Showtec, ZPAS, Apple, PC Solution, Tutundo.