POLIN — The Museum of Jewish History
By Kosenko Yaryna
Hi again! It’s me, Rina, with a new exciting place to visit! ♡
Since many of you are studying International Relations here at Collegium (and even if you aren’t), I assume that the majority of students on this course might be interested in history. One of the most popular, modern, and interesting historical museums in Warsaw (yes, historical museums can be interesting!) is The POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. The museum, as shown in its name, is dedicated to the history of Polish Jews, and it was created in 1995 by the Association of the Jewish Historical Institute of Poland. The location is quite unusual: it’s a symbolic place that was initially inhabited by Jews, but was later transformed into a ghetto by Germans. To this day, this museum is one of the most renowned museums dedicated to Jewish heritage. The cultural significance of POLIN is to preserve and promote the legacy of Polish Jews. (What’s interesting, the name “POLIN” stems from the Hebrew word for Poland)
The museum has interactive displays, multimedia presentations, and countless historical artifacts. The eight huge galleries of POLIN cover almost 1,000 years of Jewish history. In the museum, there is a lot of visual and auditory information, in Polish, English, and Hebrew (thus, suitable for foreigners). The exhibition is made using modern technologies and allows visitors to actively participate in it and explore everything they see, with the help of an audio guide. The price of the ticket is 30 zl, which is a lot for a student, but I highly recommend that you visit the museum on the “free day” (free of charge), Thursday. Be prepared to spend about 2–3 hours exploring everything around and delving into Jewish history!
