Before the Second World War, Warsaw's Jewish Quarter was home to the largest Jewish community in Europe. During the war, Warsaw's Jewish inhabitants were forced by occupants to live in one designated district, known as the Warsaw Ghetto. Only small remnants remain of this infamous district, and modern day Grzybowska Street and Grzybowski Square form the southern part of what was once the Jewish Quarter.
Historic Ghetto
Grzybowska Street and Grzybowski Square, part of the old Jewish Quarter and the Warsaw Ghetto, became a forgotten area of the city for many years. Today, however, their buildings are adorned with pictures depicting the history of the Jewish Quarter, which is now a center for Jewish culture and education. Visit the Ester Rachel Kaminska and Ida Kaminska State Jewish Theatre, the only institution in the world that regularly features plays in Yiddish. Gain a better understanding of the Jewish ghetto uprising at the Warsaw Rising Museum. Step back in time at the Festival of Jewish Culture - or Singer's Warsaw - an annual event that attempts to recreate pre-war Jewish culture, with workshops, kosher food, singing and dancing.
A moving memorial
The memorial marks a dark chapter in Warsaw's history and is a place of pilgrimage for those of Jewish faith and their descendants. The Warsaw Ghetto is a large area to walk from the southern to the northern borderline. Therefore, it is recommended that you plan in advance what you want to see, because the attractions are not closely grouped. Starting from the southern boundary, you can visit the Uprising Museum, an interactive museum with many interesting exhibitions about the uprising Polish resistance during WWII. Walk along Grzybowska to Zelasna, which is the entry point to the Ghetto, and you will be able to see a fragment of the Ghetto wall. Walk a bit further along Zelasna to Chlodna street and you can see the Footbridge Marker, which is another entry to the Ghetto. Other nearby attractions are the street Jana Pawla II, and Pawiak Prison, which was once run by the Gestapo. It will take you about an hour to view all the exhibits that provide information about political prisoners and how life used to be in the Ghetto. Follow the street names since they have not changed as they will help you identify the Ghetto boundaries. Visit these memorable attractions and walk on the streets where a terrible history once happened.
