POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews

Museum in Warsaw

Museum Of The History Of Polish Jews In Warsaw

CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wojciech Kryński

The POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, located at 6 Mordechaja Anielewicza Street in Warsaw’s Muranów district, opened in 2014 on the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto. The visually striking building, designed by Finnish architects Lahdelma & Mahlamäki, features glass and copper façades with the word “Polin” (meaning “Poland” or “rest here”) artfully printed across — symbolizing both the legendary welcome to Jewish settlers and the fissures in Jewish history. The museum stands in direct dialogue with the adjacent Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, forming a charged urban space that connects memory and history.

At the heart of the museum is the Core Exhibition, a narrative journey across a millennium of Jewish history in Poland. Visitors move through eight thematic galleries, beginning with the legend of Jewish arrival under Mieszko I, through life in medieval towns, the golden age of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, encounters with modernity, life in interwar Warsaw, the Holocaust, and a contemporary legacy section. The exhibition uses immersive reconstructions, artifacts, audiovisual installations, and oral histories to bring personal stories to life.

The POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Warsaw!

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