The Museum of the History of Polish Jews was created from the inside out. Before there was a museum, before there was a building, before there was a collection, there was a plan for the Core Exhibition. The story – the thousand-year history of Polish Jews – came first.
This is a story of how a Jewish minority created a distinctive civilization in what was once one the most diverse countries in Europe, while being part of the larger society. The history of Polish Jews is an integral part of the history of Poland, and the history of Poland is not complete without the history of Polish Jews. This is a story of cooperation and competition, coexistence and conflict, separation and integration.
The Core Exhibition opens with a “Forest,” a space of historical imagination where visitors encounter a legend that Jews told themselves about how they came to Poland and why they stayed. Seven historical galleries follow, starting in 965 and coming forward to the present.
The decision was taken from the outset to create a multimedia narrative exhibition that would bring this history to life for a new generation. In this theater of history, the story unfolds in acts and scenes as you walk. Visitors are immersed in the story and encounter those who lived in each period in their own words.
Event Communications created the Masterplan for the Core Exhibition and took the design process through to the production stage. NIZO Design International completed the design and produced the Core Exhibition. Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, together with an international team of scholars and a Polish curatorial team, worked with the designers on the development of the Core Exhibition. The Association of the Jewish Historical Institute of Poland oversaw and financed its design and creation, attracting donors worldwide.