The Jewish Historical Institute is one of the world’s leading research centers of Jewish history. It`s housed in the former Main Judaic Library and the Institute for Judaic Studies. The most important part of the collections is the Underground Archive of the Warsaw Ghetto, known as the Ringelblum Archive.
The Institute was created in 1947 and since then it`s been continuing educational mission of the pre-war Institute for Judaic Studies which survived World War 2. It`s a beautiful building contructed in 1928–1936, according to the design of Edward Zacharias Eber. When you enter the buidling you can see darks marks after flames from the Second World War on the floor.
One of its main goals is to restore the rightful place of the history of Polish Jews in the history of Poland. The Ringelblum Archive is listed in UNESCO’s “Memory of the World” Register as a one-of-a-kind resource for research of life under occupation and the destruction of Polish Jewry.
The large library contains 80,000 volumes of books dedicated to the Jewish history, culture and religion. The oldest item come from the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries. The institute has a large art collection of thousands of photographs, paintings, graphics, sculptures, metalwork, it also contains historical items, mostly from ghettos and camps.
Opening hours:
Monday – Friday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (last entry: 4 p.m.)
Address: Tłomackie 3/5 Street
