Mehoffer in FribourgDigital exhibition · 13 stained-glass windows ← Back to the exhibition
Legal information

Privacy policy, cookies, accessibility

What we do with your data and what we do not. Concise, free of legal jargon, compliant with GDPR.

Version: 1.0 · In effect from: 7 May 2026

§ 1 Privacy Policy

In short: the mehoffer.org exhibition uses minimal tracking. We never sell data to anyone. Cookies — only technical and optionally analytical (we ask for consent). You can decline all optional ones — the site still works.

Data controller

The controller of your personal data is the Foundation for the Virtualisation of National Cultural Heritage (FWNDK), with its registered office at ul. Krótka 4, 66-400 Gorzów Wielkopolski, entered in the National Court Register (KRS) under number 0000659313, NIP 5993194206, REGON 366372778. Public Benefit Organisation (OPP) status.

Contact regarding privacy matters: bialobrzycki.piotr@gmail.com

What data we collect

We collect only the data strictly necessary for the exhibition to function and to fulfil your requests:

  • Contact form / patronage: name, e-mail, optionally organisation, message content — so that we can reply
  • Language choice (PL/EN/FR): stored in the browser's localStorage — so we can remember your preference
  • Consent to background music: the answer is saved in localStorage so as not to ask on every visit
  • Technical data: IP address, browser type, time of visit — anonymous, for statistics and protection against bots

What we do NOT collect

  • We do not use advertising — no Google Ads, Facebook Pixel, Hotjar, Microsoft Clarity
  • We do not sell data — never, to anyone
  • We do not profile users across visits
  • We do not collect biometric data or GPS location

How long we retain it

  • Contact form data: 6 months from the last correspondence
  • List of patrons / donors: 5 years (accounting and tax requirements)
  • Server logs: 30 days
  • Browser localStorage: until you clear your cookies yourself

Who we share it with

Solely with entities necessary for the operation of the site, on the basis of data processing agreements compliant with GDPR:

  • Hosting provider (Hostido / Netlify) — storing the site within the EU
  • 3DVista Tour Pro — the 360° virtual tour (iframe embed)
  • Asset hub wirtualnedziedzictwo.pl — KRpano gigapixels (streaming only, no transfer of files)

None of these entities has the right to use your data for any purposes other than those agreed.

Your rights (GDPR art. 15–22)

You have the right to:

  • access — to obtain a copy of your data
  • rectification — to correct errors
  • erasure (the “right to be forgotten”)
  • restriction of processing
  • data portability — export in a readable format
  • objection to processing
  • withdrawal of consent at any time
  • lodging a complaint with the President of the Personal Data Protection Office — uodo.gov.pl

We fulfil all rights within 30 days of receiving the request at bialobrzycki.piotr@gmail.com.

Security

The site uses an encrypted HTTPS connection. Data on the servers is stored exclusively within the EU, with access restricted to the foundation's administrators. In the event of a data security breach, we will inform the UODO within 72 hours, as well as the persons concerned.

§ 2 Cookie Policy

The mehoffer.org exhibition uses only two kinds of cookies — and nothing else:

TypePurposeLifetimeDefault
Essential (technical) Remembering the site language (PL/EN/FR), consent to background music, acceptance of the cookie banner, and the playback position of the track “Leaded Glass” Up to 12 months Enabled — essential for the site to function
Analytical (optional) Anonymous visit statistics (Plausible Analytics, self-hosted in the EU) — without tracking individual users 30 days Disabled — we ask for consent before enabling

What we use instead of cookies

Most of the exhibition's state (language choice, decision about music, position within the track) is stored in the browser's localStorage — a mechanism considerably safer than classic cookies, operating exclusively on the side of your device and invisible to our servers.

What we do NOT use

  • Third-party cookies — no advertising networks (Google Ads, Facebook Pixel, DoubleClick, AdSense)
  • Behaviour-tracking cookies — no Hotjar, Microsoft Clarity, Mouseflow
  • Fingerprinting — we do not identify your browser or device

How to manage cookies

You can withdraw any consent at any time by:

  • Clicking the “🍪 Cookies” icon in the site footer (if visible)
  • Clearing cookies directly in your browser (Chrome → Settings → Privacy and security → Cookies)
  • Sending a request to bialobrzycki.piotr@gmail.com

§ 3 Copyright and licence

Open Heritage · Zero Commerce. The foundation neither sells licences nor hands over files in any form — the digital asset never leaves the foundation's infrastructure. Access to the content takes place exclusively through streaming in the viewer's browser. Funding model: public grants and civic patronage.

Content licence

All digital reproductions of the stained-glass windows, photographs of the cathedral and the exhibition's textual materials of mehoffer.org are made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC-BY-NC 4.0) licence.

You may use these materials for educational and scholarly purposes, provided that attribution is given. Commercial use requires separate consent — the foundation does not sell licences as part of its mission-driven policy.

Required attribution

© Foundation for the Virtualisation of National Cultural Heritage (FWNDK) (KRS 0000659313). Digitisation carried out with a dedicated grant from the Senate of the Republic of Poland under the programme of care for the Polish diaspora and Poles abroad. Stained-glass windows by Józef Mehoffer, St Nicholas Cathedral in Fribourg (Switzerland), property of the Canton of Fribourg (État de Fribourg). Licence CC-BY-NC 4.0.

Physical rights

  • Digital owner of the reproductions: Foundation for the Virtualisation of National Cultural Heritage (FWNDK)
  • Physical owner of the windows and the cathedral: Canton of Fribourg (État de Fribourg / Staat Freiburg), Switzerland
  • Ecclesiastical user: Diocese of Lausanne–Genève–Fribourg (cathedral since 1924)
  • Author of the windows: Józef Mehoffer (1869–1946), in the public domain since 1 January 2017 (70 years after death)

Five-layer protection shield

The architecture of the digital asset is based on the principle of defence in depth. Each layer operates independently:

  • Layer 1 — IIIF Image API 3.0: images served as tile-based tiles by a Cantaloupe server
  • Layer 2 — Steganography: an invisible watermark in the pixel values, unique per user session
  • Layer 3 — Mini-watermark: a discreet foundation mark in the bottom-right corner of HD tiles
  • Layer 4 — Hotlink protection: a referrer allow-list (wirtualnedziedzictwo.pl, polona.pl, europeana.eu, wikipedia.org, artsandculture.google.com)
  • Layer 5 — Streaming audit: every access is logged, with retention compliant with grant-reporting requirements

Enforcement of rights is carried out through the Pixsy agency on a pay-per-success basis — DMCA notice + settlement negotiations regarding unauthorised reproductions.

§ 4 Accessibility statement

The mehoffer.org exhibition is designed in accordance with the WCAG 2.2 AA standard, and we aim for the AAA level. Every work of art is meant to be equally accessible to a doctoral student from the Sorbonne and a secondary-school pupil from Pułtusk — regardless of their visual, auditory, motor or cognitive abilities.

Compliance status

As of 7 May 2026: partially compliant with WCAG 2.2 level AA. A full accessibility audit is planned for the second quarter of 2027 by a certified WCAG specialist (external). Selected elements still require refinement.

What already works

  • Full keyboard navigation — Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter, Escape (closing modals)
  • High-contrast mode — a toggle in the object panel
  • Dark mode — a palette adapted for readability
  • Text enlargement up to 200% without loss of readability
  • Skip-links — skipping navigation to the main content
  • ARIA labels for all interactive elements
  • Schema.org VisualArtwork — semantic representation of data
  • prefers-reduced-motion — respecting the user's system preferences
  • Three languages: PL / EN / FR with hreflang

What we will still improve

  • Audio description of Art Nouveau works (for the blind) — planned for the Inclusive Premium phase
  • Contemplation mode (sensory-friendly UI) — minimal visualisation, only Italiana typography
  • Full captions and audio transcript for “Leaded Glass”

Keyboard shortcuts

  • Tab / Shift+Tab — navigation between elements
  • Enter / Space — activating a button / link
  • Escape — closing the virtual tour, deep zoom, sponsor drawer
  • ← / → — scrubbing the track “Leaded Glass” (when the progress bar is focused)
  • Home / End — jumping to the start / end of the track

Reporting accessibility problems

If you encounter an accessibility problem on the site — a page unreadable with a screen reader, low contrast, missing alternative text, inability to navigate with the keyboard — report it to bialobrzycki.piotr@gmail.com. We will try to fix it within 14 days.

§ 5 Legal contact

For legal matters, GDPR, copyright infringement, patronage enquiries:

  • Foundation for the Virtualisation of National Cultural Heritage (FWNDK)
  • ul. Krótka 4, 66-400 Gorzów Wielkopolski
  • KRS 0000659313 · NIP 5993194206 · REGON 366372778
  • Status: Public Benefit Organisation (OPP)
  • Bank account number (PKO BP): 28 1020 1967 0000 8802 0147 0087
  • E-mail: bialobrzycki.piotr@gmail.com
  • Telephone: +48 664 966 996
  • Foundation home page: wirtualnedziedzictwo.pl

Changes to these terms

Any material change to this document (Privacy Policy, cookies, copyright, accessibility) will be announced on the site 14 days in advance. The current version is marked with its effective date in the header.