fot. Mateusz Nasternak / nasternak.com
Tour the Exhibition with Children
You know your children best, so you will know what topics and activities interest them. In our core exhibition, you can discover, touch, play, and imagine in each historical time period.
How to tour the exhibition with a child? >>
Some clues for the start:
- If you have any questions or concerns – please do not hesitate to ask our staff members who are stationed in the exhibition galleries.
- The Holocaust Gallery (Gallery 7) is dedicated to World War II time and is recommended for children ages 12 and older.
- At the entrance to our Museum, there is a security checkpoint through which all visitors must pass before entering the Museum itself. If we have a high volume of visitors entering the Museum at one time, then visitors may have to wait a few minutes before being able to pass through security.
What should you pay attention to during your visit? >>
- The main hall – make sure to observe the sand-like color of the walls on either side of the lobby. What does it make you think of? A desert? A cave? Perhaps, a beach? In Israel, where the Jewish people live, there are vast deserts, deep caves, and beautiful beaches.
- Stand between the green panels of the Forest Gallery, and read the Polin legend.
- The the 13th century coin – you can view this artifact displayed on the round table. The coin has Hebrew inscriptions and you can even design your own digital coin.
- The Jewish community (kehilla) – observe the interactive town plan and click on the screen to learn more about life in the Jewish quarter. Discover the meaning of words such as synagogue and mikveh.
- The printing press – make your own print at the printing house! (ask a staff member to explain what the features on your print represent).
- The synagogue – look for various animals painted on the synagogue’s vault: lions, unicorns, elephants, hares, fish, squirrels, etc. Each animal holds a hidden meaning. For example, the unicorn represents justice, lions symbolize the Jewish people or the tribe of Judah, and the elephant serves as a symbol for the Torah and wisdom.
- The throne – sit on the throne of King Stanisław August and feel like a monarch! Kings can grant rights…what kind of rights would you grant to your family and others from your hometown?
- The railway station – role play a ticket conductor and a traveler (buy a ticket from the ticket counter and have it stamped).
- On the Jewish Street – look for a room with an old gramophone and try to tango by following the steps on the floor. You can also call someone from the old telephone – the telephone number for writer Antoni Słonimski is 9 39 47.
- Climb up the stairs to the mezzanine level and learn what toys kids used to play with in prewar courtyards. Try to play hopscotch, which has been drawn on to the floor.
POLIN Museum is accessible for visitors with small children >>
- There are baby changing stations in the Museum’s bathrooms. There is also a special quiet room for feeding babies (level -1, next to the security desk).
- Visitors can access the core exhibition by a lift which can easily fit a pram or a pushchair. You can also leave prams and pushchairs in the cloakroom.
- Our restaurant offers meals that are popular with children, e.g. chicken broth with noodles (10PLN) or chicken breast with vegetables and potatoes or rice (13PLN).
- The King Matt’s family education area opens daily between 3 pm and 6 pm (except Tuesdays when the Museum is closed to visitors).
Audio guide for families >>
Important information
We encourage you to visit the creative space for children, King Matt’s Family Education Area on the Museum’s ground floor. You can rest there after touring the core exhibition, or take part in creative workshops for families.
Do join the King Matt’s group at POLIN Museum on Facebook.
