8 Kolobrzeska, Bydgoszcz, Poland
Galicja Jewish Museum is located in the Jewish district of Kazimierz in Kraków. The museum commemorates the victims of the Holocaust, and also introduces Jewish history and culture. Offers three permanent exhibitions: Traces of Memory (a contemporary look at the Jewish past in Poland), An unfinished memory (Jewish heritage and the holocaust in Eastern Galicja) and Ten Polish Cities — Ten Jewish Stories (history of ten Polish Jews who told about growing up in pre-war Poland, about surviving during the Holocaust and about their post-war fate). In addition to the permanent exhibitions, in recent years the museum has prepared and hosted over a dozen other temporary exhibitions. The Galicia Jewish Museum conducts comprehensive educational activities, providing knowledge about the history and culture of Jews in an accessible way. They organize museum lessons, lectures, workshops, art classes and guided educational tours, as well as meetings with the Holocaust survivor. The museum is open seven days a week. Offers tours with a qualified and experienced guide. Standard sightseeing takes 1 hour. A shorter general tour (30 minutes) is also available.
The museum is located in Kraków's Kazimierz, in the heart of the former Jewish district of the city. It was established by the British photographer Chris Schwarz in the restored building of the former Jewish furniture factory at 18 Dajwór Street. The official opening took place on June 27, 2004. On an area of almost 1,000 square meters, there are 4 exhibition rooms, a cafe, a bookshop, an educational room with a Multimedia Resource Center and offices. The interior subtly combines modern materials - glass, metal and dark wood - with original elements of the building structure. The open space allows you to organize exhibitions, concerts, meetings with authors, lectures and workshops.
The aim of the museum is to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust as well as to familiarize with Jewish history and culture. Through education, the Museum tries to combat stereotypes and misconceptions about common Polish-Jewish history, while inspiring reflection on the future. These activities are intended to help both Poles and Jews understand their own history.
The museum offers three permanent exhibitions:
The first one - Traces of Memory: A contemporary look at the Jewish Past in Poland, documents the surviving fragments of the Jewish heritage of Polish Galicia, shows the places where the Holocaust took place and presents post-war attempts to preserve the memory of heritage of Jewish in Poland. The exhibition was established as the result of a creative collaboration between Chris Schwarz and Jonathan Weber. After spending over 12 years on the project, they collected material that allows for a completely new look at the Jewish past. The exhibition includes 140 color photographs that were taken by them in the villages and towns of Galicia. It is divided into five parts, corresponding to the way the topic is presented: "The testimony of ruins", "Jewish culture as it once was", "Holocaust. Places of extermination", "How the past is remembered", "People creating memory".
The second permanent exhibition, Unfinished Memory, complements the previous exhibition. Its author is Jason Francisco. It encourages visitors not only to look but to read the world around us from the angle of Jewish memory. It explores the constant presence of Jewish heritage in former Eastern Galicia, the constant influence of the Holocaust on the social geography of Western Ukraine, and the challenges related to the preservation and commemoration of this heritage.
A new permanent exhibition at the Galicia Jewish Museum in the Taube Family Gallery is the exhibition "Ten Polish Cities — Ten Jewish Stories". It was prepared in cooperation with one of the main partners of the Galicia Jewish Museum - Centropa, based on the materials collected by this organization: accounts and family photos of ten Polish Jews who told about growing up in pre-war Poland, about surviving during the Holocaust and about their post-war fate. The heroes of the exhibition came from different cities and from different backgrounds. The world they knew collapsed in September 1939. Although they managed to survive - in ghettos, camps, in hiding, in guerrillas, in the Soviet army or in exile - they lost their families and homes and had to start over after the war. Six of them lived in Poland in the post-war years, one person stayed in the USSR and settled in St. Petersburg, one left for Israel, but eventually returned to Poland, and two immigrated permanently to the United States.
In addition to the permanent exhibitions, in recent years the museum has prepared and hosted over a dozen other temporary exhibitions, including: “Poland and Palestine - Two Lands and Two Heaven. Krakow Jews through the lens of Ze'v Aleksandrowicz "," Bernard Aptekar: Intellectual and Political Landscapes "," Remembered City. Memories of Jewish Lviv and the Holocaust, "Polish Heroes: Those Who Saved Jews", "Fighting for Dignity: Jewish Resistance Movement in Krakow", "Letters to the Hall. Life of a Young Woman in Nazi Labor Camps".
At the moment, the museum presents two temporary exhibitions: "Szancer, imagine!" and "Order and Extermination. Police in Nazi Germany. Koret Gallery".
The Galicia Jewish Museum conducts comprehensive educational activities, providing knowledge about the history and culture of Jews in an accessible way. The mission of the institution is to show the rich Polish-Jewish history in a broader context. A comprehensive educational program, aimed at primary school, junior high and high school students, includes museum lessons, lectures, workshops, art classes and guided educational tours. The museum offers educational packages tailored to the individual needs of each group. The Department of Education prepares educational materials and teaching aids related to teaching about the Holocaust and the history as well as religion and culture of Jews, addressed to students and teachers from Poland and abroad.
The museum also organizes meetings with the Holocaust survivor. The stories of older people who have gone through so much have a big impact on young people, changing their worldview. The meetings are interpreted by museum employees who are experienced in working with Witnesses and have the necessary knowledge on the subject.
The tours are conducted by qualified and experienced educators. During the tour, the main exhibition of the Galicia Jewish Museum is presented. "Traces of Memory" and current temporary exhibitions. Standard sightseeing takes 1 hour. A shorter general tour (30 minutes) is also available.
