Museum of the History of Polish Jews
An unusual museum in an unusual setting. One thousand years of history are told in a symbolic location in Warsaw's center: in the pre-war district inhabited primarily by Jews and transformed into a ghetto by the Germans during the war. The museum preserves its rich culture and heritage. Before you begin your tour, pay attention to the building itself, which hides many symbols and meanings. For example, the main hall "cuts" the museum building from the underground to the roof, symbolizing the Holocaust's crack in Polish Jewish history.
The Hebrew word Polin, which means "Poland" or "here you will rest," is written on the glass panes that cover the façades. Then embark on a journey through the centuries, guided by eight theme galleries. Antiques, paintings, interactive exhibits, reconstructions, and video projections will bring this fascinating history to life.
You will discover the traces of the first Jewish settlement in medieval Poland, see the 13th-century royal statute guaranteeing them safety as well as personal and religious freedom, and learn what the "Golden Age of the Culture of Polish Jews" is. One of the museum's main attractions is the reconstructed roof structure of the unique wooden synagogue from Gwodziec, which can be found in the Jewish Town gallery. Following that, you'll walk through a pre-war Jewish street where two cultures collide, then to the World War II Warsaw Ghetto, and finally to the post-war period.
Don't miss the Ghetto Heroes Monument in front of the museum, where German Chancellor Willi Brandt knelt in a historic gesture. This event was viewed as a symbolic apology from Germany for the Holocaust's crimes. A monument to Jan Karski, the emissary of the Polish underground state, is also nearby. In the autumn of 1942, he traveled to the United Kingdom and gave his eyewitness account of the Holocaust to the highest Allied authorities.
Google rating: 4.5/5
Address: Mordechaja Anielewicza 6, 00-157 Warszawa, Poland
Phone: +48 22 471 03 01
Website: https://www.polin.pl/
