Unimaginable. The Void after the Great Synagogues

Galicia Jewish Museum

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30 NOVEMBER 2025 - 31 AUGUST 2026

Unimaginable. The Void after the Great Synagogues
This exhibit remembers the Great Synagogues that loomed large within urban centres across Poland before World War II. While the Jewish population of almost every small town in Poland had at least one synagogue, if not several, a trend of building monumental 'Grand' or 'Great' synagogues began in the late 19th and early-20th centuries. These massive edifices, ranging in style from Neo-Gothic to Moorish, were symbols of strength and prosperity, not only of the communities they represented, but the cities like Warsaw, Poznań and Wrocław, where they were integral parts of the urban landscape.
The New Synagogue in Wrocław, 1938.

Casualties of Nazi hatred, violence and destruction, unlike much of Poland's damaged architectural treasures, these remarkable buildings were not rebuilt after World War II. Physically absent from the cities they once stood out in, these grand edifices are also largely absent from the collective consciousness today. This exhibit honours their memory and attempts to educate viewers about these lost treasures. Focusing on 13 cities across Poland, these grand synagogues are once again seen in the exhibit's engravings, photographs, artefacts, maps, witness accounts and other documentation. In some cases, virtual representations and 3D renderings have been created to transport the viewer into these vanished spaces.
 
Date

Date

30 NOVEMBER 2025 - 31 AUGUST 2026
Location

Location

Galicia Jewish Museum

Kraków

Tickets

Tickets

Admission 35/25zł

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