Occupying over 4,000 sqm, the heart and soul of the Museum - the Core Exhibition presents 1,000 years of Jewish life in Poland through a chronological and thematic narrative. Prepared by a team of more than 30 graphic designers, architects and other artists under the supervision of Mirosław Nizia, and based on primary sources, iconography, documents and multimedia researched by 130 academics, it is a journey through forests full of legends, bustling streets, cafes and private homes.
Divided into eight galleries where each presents a separate period of the 1000 years of history of the settlement in Poland of the largest Jewish community in the world, the Core Exhibition begins with an installation of abstract tree forms reminding of the meeting place of the first Jewish merchants with inhabitants of Polish lands – Forest. With Forest creating a sense of emotional preparedness for the voyage ahead, the next gallery, First Encounters tells the story of the emergence of multicultural relations and features several precious exhibits, architectural structures reminiscent of the Middle Ages and walls covered with icons interpreted by young Polish artists. A topographical model of Kraków and Kazimier, and an audiovisual presentation in the Paradisus Judaeorum gallery depict life in the 15th-16th century. An 85%-scale replica of the roof of the now lost XVII-century wooden synagogue from Gwoździec, along with its ornamented ceiling, recreated by students using traditional materials, methods and tools is featured in the Into the Country gallery. Encounters with Modernity is an account of the 19th century, its innovations and discoveries. The remaining three galleries bring to life a typical Jewish Street from the interwar period, the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust, and the developments of the Post War Years.
The exhibition was initially designed by Event Communications, an award-winning British firm that specializes in high-impact, narrative, multimedia exhibitions. The in-depth design and production has been taken on by the Warsaw-based firm Nizio Design International.
The purpose of the exhibition is to restore the Polish and Jewish memory of historical events, which are the common history of both Poles and Jews. This is the first museum exhibition in the world to address this subject, while showing the whole story. One of the biggest organisational and financial undertakings in modern day Poland, with costs for the construction of the main building and the Core Exhibition reaching over 320 milion zlotys, the Museum of the History of Polish Jews concluded its fundraising process on July 4th 2012.
Sources: culture.pl, Museum of the History of Polish Jews website
Editor: Marta Jazowska