In 2024, construction work on the Warsaw Ghetto Museum gained momentum. Many key tasks have been completed in recent months. Below, we present the most important events related to the Museum's construction in 2024.
JANUARY – interview with architect Jerzy Wowczak
"We are restoring the hospital building to its former glory"
Journalist Masza Makarova, an employee of the Warsaw Ghetto Museum, conducted an engaging conversation with the creator of the Museum project, architect and art historian Jerzy Wowczak, PhD. We invite you to listen to the entire conversation.
MARCH – discovery of grenades and ammunition from World War II
During earthworks at the former Bersohn and Bauman Hospital, 20 Polish-made hand grenades and 500 rounds of ammunition, likely from World War II, were discovered in the basement beneath the building's main entrance. A bomb disposal unit was called to the scene, and the police secured the area. The grenades and ammunition were stored in the Explosives Container Warehouse and then neutralized.
APRIL – summary of demolition works
By April 2024, demolition work had been completed, the foundations of the former hospital were reinforced, and the diaphragm walls were deepened. All activities were conducted in accordance with the issued conservation decision and the obtained building permit.
MAY – a key stage in the construction of underground floors
In May, construction and conservation work continued in the basements of the Hospital and Ophthalmology buildings. The process of excavating the diaphragm walls, a key step in the construction of the underground levels, also continued.
JUNE – visit of Mrs. Ewa Heller-Ekblad, granddaughter of Dr. Anna Braude-Hellerowa
In June, we had the great honor of hosting Mrs. Ewa Heller-Ekblad, granddaughter of Dr. Anna Braude-Heller, who visited the former Bersohn and Bauman Hospital. No one has made such a distinguished contribution to the hospital as Dr. Anna Braude-Heller, who has been associated with the institution since 1914. Thanks to her efforts, the hospital reopened in 1930, having become its chief physician two years earlier. She remained with the patients and staff until the very end, likely perishing during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Her granddaughter, Ewa Heller, was born in 1940. Although she doesn't remember it, she lived on the grounds of the Bersohn and Bauman Hospital with her parents and grandmother. After more than 80 years, she returned to the former hospital. Meeting Ewa Heller-Ekblad was a beautiful and moving opportunity to discuss her family's history, memory, and the history of the Bersohn and Bauman Hospital. We also presented our guest with the design of the future seat of the Warsaw Ghetto Museum.
Below you can watch a video recording of the conversation with Ms. Ewa Heller-Ekblad.
AUGUST – visit of the Minister of State, Plenipotentiary of the German Federal Government for Culture and the Media
In August, a meeting was held with Claudia Roth, Minister of State and the Federal Government's Plenipotentiary for Culture and the Media. The Minister's visit provided an excellent opportunity to exchange experiences and discuss issues related to preserving the memory of the difficult past that unites our nations. During the meeting, Albert Stankowski, Director of the Warsaw Ghetto Museum, together with Dr. hab. Katarzyna Person, Deputy Director for Research and Exhibitions, and Prof. Daniel Blatman, Chief Historian of the Museum, presented the project for the permanent exhibition, which aims to tell the tragic fate of Jews, particularly those who were overlooked and forgotten after the war. The Minister also received a guided tour of the museum's construction site. The visit culminated with a visit to the archaeological excavations at the former Miła 18 Street, where Dr. Paweł Freus explained the history of the 19th-century basement foundations discovered in 2022, which served as a shelter during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
SEPTEMBER – pouring lean concrete under the foundation slab
In September, excavation work for the newly designed building was underway, and lean concrete was poured for the foundation slab.
OCTOBER – signing of an agreement with the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage for co-financing from European funds under the FEnIKS program for the project "Renovation and extension of the historic buildings of the former Bersohn and Bauman Children's Hospital at ul. Sienna 60/Śliska 51 in Warsaw"
The Warsaw Ghetto Museum has signed an agreement with the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage for European funding under the FEnIKS program for the project "Renovation and expansion of the historic buildings of the former Bersohn and Bauman Children's Hospital at 60 Sienna Street/51 Śliska Street in Warsaw." The project includes adapting the buildings for exhibition and educational purposes and constructing a Mediatheque, part of the Museum's permanent exhibition. More information about the project can be found here.
Another remarkable discovery has been made at the construction site of the Warsaw Ghetto Museum. During on-site work, archaeologists uncovered remnants of a 19th-century wooden well, which was built during the construction of the Bersohn and Bauman Hospital. They were located 6 meters below the surface, approximately at level -2 of the museum under construction.
NOVEMBER – press conference inaugurating the start of the project under the FEnIKS program and reinforced concrete works related to the construction of the underground volumes of the Museum
On November 12, 2024, a press conference was held at the PAP Press Center to inaugurate the project under the FEnIKS program. A broadcast of the conference can be viewed below.
Reinforced concrete work continued on the construction site for the Museum's underground volumes. The general contractor, a consortium of Adamietz Warszawa and Adamietz sp. z o. o., continued reinforcement work and the installation of wall and ceiling formwork in the eastern part of the complex. Earthworks were underway in the western part of the complex, involving deepening the ground to construct a floor slab at level -3. Structural work was carried out in the historic buildings to reinforce the ceilings and walls. Ventilation, air conditioning, process heating, and water and sewage systems were also underway.
DECEMBER – work continues at a steady pace
Construction of the Warsaw Ghetto Museum continues unabated, even in December. This winter has been a good time for construction. New reinforced concrete structures for the underground levels are being constructed daily. The contractor will soon begin work on the ground level.
The project "Renovation and expansion of the historic buildings of the former Bersohn and Bauman Children's Hospital at 60 Sienna Street / 51 Śliska Street in Warsaw, together with their adaptation for exhibition and educational purposes, and the construction of a Mediatheque – part of the permanent exhibition of the Warsaw Ghetto Museum" is made possible thanks to funding from the European Funds for Infrastructure, Climate, Environment 2021-2027 (FEniKS) program. The amount of funding from the European Regional Development Fund is PLN 57,423,828.88. The total project value is PLN 323,879,688.83.
