You wonder what this post title means, right? Well, it’s how Jews called Poland in Middle Ages and this is how the museum about their history is called. So, this post will be about my visit there last summer.

POLIN is a huge modern museum which tells a story about Jewish presence here since the very beginning. Because they lived here among Christians and probably pagans too. They started getting their first privileges in 13th century and for a long time it was a golden age for all religions. Everything changed in 17th century but let’s slow down a little and let me show you how this museum looks like.

Middle Ages

It all starts in woods… Do you want to learn why? Visit POLIN in Warsaw! I went on a free day which is Thursday and better arrive at 10/11 AM because I got there like that and I’ve spent there 7 hours until closing anyway and you know… I actually had to hurry after seeing about 1/3 of the exposition… Oh, and I recommend borrowing audioguides.

Kazimierz The Great is a very important king. He gave Jews more privileges than any other king. And that’s why there were rumors that he had to have a Jewish lover called Estera. He was famous for his love for women but you know… It was 14th century and we will never find out how it really was…

16th century

As I’ve already said, it was the golden age when toleration was more popular than even today…

You can sit here and read books in the library if you want to, you know… There were books for women about Jewish laws… Something like that. In another place it was possible to… print your own book pages using printing press. It was a lovely experience, I totally recommend it to anyone!

17th century

Tough times for Jews started in 17th century when Chmielnicki’s uprising took place. It was a Cossack leader and it was against Polish noble people, but Jews also got affected for the first time in history.

…But it doesn’t mean that some safe oasis didn’t exist. You can find the reconstruction of the town that belonged to the king Jan Sobieski in this part of the exposition. Then we go into the inn, house and synagogue. The last one doesn’t exist in real life anymore. To express the fact that Jews lived next to Catholics there is a room for the church too. And then there is such an intriguing place… But I won’t say what it is! You need to go there to find out!

18th century

This century is nothing but partitions of the country… Invaders were taking away privileges that Jews used to have in Poland step by step for those 123 years. Because that’s for how long Poland was gone from maps.

19th century

This is a saloon. Here we have a wedding which is an example of slowly disappearing tradition. Because some people decided to be modern and as I’ve already said, the law was changing.

Then we go to the library, school, and we end up at the train station. The next is Łódź and its factories. And then there is Warsaw, and we’ll have 20th century soon.

20s and 30s of the 20th century

Poland is free again when WWI ends. We can find the street and that amazing culture in his part of the exposition. Also, one room is about politics. And I must mention that it’s the time when some people started to call themselves Polish Jews.

Upstairs we can find out more about few Jewish towns of that specific time. Then there are such things like children playing on streets, schools…

But in the end the war comes…

World War II

I guess we all know what it meant for Jews…

The Uprising in the Warsaw Ghetto 1943 is one of parts of this exposition, but there are also: From the Other Side of the Wall, Hiding or Living in the Light?. And after that we have the newest history called:

After The War

After the war the world had to be rebuilt not only literally. Some people decided to stay, some went back to the motherland and others chose USA.

This is where the story ends. But I guess it never really does. and it’s still being written outside the walls of the museum today…

The Temporary Exposition. The Uprising in Warsaw Ghetto 1943

Welcome to the gallery called Bunker. It was loud, and very touching… You can see there such things like the journal that suddenly ends…

It’s just impossible to talk about some things… So, I’ll just let it rest in peace.

Well, I hope you liked this story that lasted about 1000 years, and I really hope you’d go there when you visit Warsaw. If you like such modern museums, then I also recommend visiting The Warsaw Uprising Museum and Polish Army Museum. And maybe also the National Museum if you like art…

So, that’s a wrap today. Tomorrow I’m adding the last post about The Summer I Turned Pretty.

Love, A.A.