POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, Warsaw (must see)

You'll know it's the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews when you see the large, box-shaped building faced with glass and copper-toned panels. It stands in an open green space on the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto. Directly opposite the museum is the dark stone Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, which commemorates those who fought in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

Before entering, step back and examine the museum’s glass façade. A tall, irregular opening appears to divide the building into two halves. Inside, this becomes a flowing, canyon-like passage with curved walls. The design has several interpretations, including the parting of the Red Sea (during the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt) and the breaks and continuities in Jewish history. At night, the glass exterior is illuminated, making the building easy to identify from the surrounding park.

Enter through the main doors facing the monument. The spacious entrance hall contains the ticket desk, cloakroom, museum shop, café, and access to the temporary exhibition rooms. From here, follow the signs downstairs to the Core Exhibition, the museum’s main attraction. Allow at least two or three hours to explore it properly.

The exhibition is arranged chronologically through eight galleries, covering more than 1,000 years of Jewish life in Poland. The route begins with medieval legends about the arrival of Jewish communities and continues through settlement, religious traditions, trade, scholarship, and everyday family life. Interactive displays, maps, films, photographs, documents, and reconstructed interiors help place each period in context.

One of the most recognizable sections is the reconstruction of the painted ceiling and wooden roof of the former synagogue in Gwoździec. Look upward to see its richly colored animals, plants, biblical symbols, and Hebrew inscriptions. Later galleries examine the partitions of Poland, the growth of modern Jewish culture, the Holocaust, postwar life, and Jewish communities in today's Poland.

After completing the permanent route, return to the entrance level for the temporary galleries, whose exhibitions may focus on art, photography, individuals, or particular historical events.