Gwoździec Re!construction

In 2011, the Association of the Jewish Historical Institute of Poland together with the Museum of the History of Polish Jews and Handshouse Studio initiated a unique hands-on educational project: the reconstruction of the timber roof structure and polychrome wooden ceiling of the lost 17th-century wooden synagogue of Gwoździec The Gwoździec Re!construction project included construction, painting, and educational workshops in eight Polish cities where students worked shoulder-to-shoulder with an international team of historians, architects, artisans, and artists specializing in traditional woodwork and polychrome painting. They created one of the centerpieces in the Core Exhibition. In 2011 during the workshop in Sanok, participants reconstructed the timber-framed roof. During two years, 2011-2012, in 7 cities – Rzeszów, Kraków, Wrocław, Gdansk, Sejny, Kazimierz Dolny, Szczebrzeszyn they completed painted vault. The workshops took place inside the synagogue in each town. Local residents were invited to presentations of the project and inspired to learn more about the synagogue and Jewish past of their own town. At the beginning of 2013 the roof together with the decorative ceiling were mounted inside the museum’s building.

Realization of the project was possible thanks to the support of Irene Pletka, Gwożdziec Re!construction Founding Sponsor and Distinguished Benefactor of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews.