Galicia Jewish Museum

Krakow Wiki

8 years ago

Galicia Jewish Museum was established in 2004 as a result of twelve years of work of British photojournalist, Chris Schwarz. The Museum commemorates not only victims of the Holocaust but also puts great emphasis on showing Jewish life and culture that used to be very vibrant in this region before World War II.

Project of mural in Galicia Jewish Museum

The main aim of the Museum is to show Jewish history and tradition from a new perspective, as well as to revise stereotypes about the Jewish past in Poland and help both, Poles and Jews, to understand their history. The name of the Museum relates to the region of Galicia, a historical and geographic region that straddled the modern-day border between Poland and Ukraine, largely inhabited by Jews, that was incorporated into Austrian Empire in the 19th century.

Traces of Memory

The cornerstone of Galicia Jewish Museum is an exhibition titled Traces of Memory. It showcases twelve years of collaboration between Chris Schwarz and anthropologist Jonathan Webber. They explored southern Poland in order to document remnants of Jewish culture, still existing in small towns and villages. Thousands of photographs taken during this expedition became an inspiration and contribution to establishing the Galicia Jewish Museum.

Main exhibition hall in Galicia Jewish Museum

The Museum is housed in a restored prewar mill in the historic district of Kazimierz. The interior subtly blends modern materials – glass, metal and dark wood – with original structure of the building. Such concept was driven by an idea to give visitors a chance to take a deep breath and meet Jewish tradition in broad, bright space, after being often weighed down by the tragic history.

Galicia Jewish Museum also offers one of the richest in Poland cultural and educational programmes. It regularly hosts klezmer concerts. Workshops, lectures and seminars on Jewish religion and culture and the Holocaust are led on a permanent basis for schools as well as for individuals. The Museum continuously expands its collection of unique films and pursues publishing and research activities. Museum’s bookstore is one of the largest of its kind in Poland.