Description of the attraction
The Jewish Historical Museum is a museum in Amsterdam that tells about the history, culture and religion of the Jewish people, both in the Netherlands and around the world. It is the only museum in the Netherlands dedicated to Jewish history.
The museum was opened in February 1932. It was originally located in the former building of the City Weighing Chamber on the New Market Square. During World War II, when the Netherlands was occupied by Nazi troops, the museum was closed and the exhibits were looted. After the war, it was possible to collect only a fifth of them. The collection of the museum was replenished over time, and in 1987 the museum moved to the buildings of the former Great Synagogue. These buildings have not been used for religious purposes since 1943, and a large-scale reconstruction was carried out before the museum was placed here. Where possible, the buildings of the complex were returned to the look of the 18th century, but they are connected with each other by modern transitions made of glass and concrete - this symbolizes that the transformation of the synagogue into a museum is a revolutionary and unprecedented event.
Initially, the museum talked mainly about history and religion, but after the war, more attention is paid to culture. The museum contains a large collection of paintings made either by Jewish artists or related to the history of the Jewish people. The post-war museum also has a section dedicated to the Holocaust.
Now in the collection of the museum there are more than 13,000 exhibits, as well as tens of thousands of books and printed publications. The permanent exhibition presents only a small part of the exhibits - others participate in exhibitions in other museums around the world, or are stored in storerooms. Unseen exhibits can be viewed on the museum's website.
