Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw: Home of the Ringelblum Archive
The essentials: The Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, based at Tlomackie since 1947, preserves the Ringelblum Archive: about 35,000 documents gathered secretly in the Warsaw Ghetto from November 1940, buried in 1942-1943 and recovered in two parts in 1946 and 1950. The archive is on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.
Photo: Adrian Grycuk, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0 PL). The main entrance of the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, photographed in 2017.
On Tlomackie, in the surviving building of the former Main Judaic Library, stands the Jewish Historical Institute (Zydowski Instytut Historyczny) - the guardian of one of the most important archives of the Second World War.
The Ringelblum Archive
From November 1940, historian Emanuel Ringelblum and the secret Oneg Shabbat group documented life in the Warsaw Ghetto. As deportations began, they hid their collection: in August 1942, ten tin boxes were buried at 68 Nowolipki Street; in February 1943, two milk cans followed. A third part was buried later and has never been found.
The first part was recovered in September 1946 and the second in December 1950. Together they form an archive of about 35,000 documents, inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.
The institute today
The Jewish Historical Institute has been headquartered at Tlomackie since 1947. It runs a research institute, archive, library and exhibitions devoted to the history and culture of Polish Jews.
FAQ
What is the Ringelblum Archive?
A secret archive of about 35,000 documents created in the Warsaw Ghetto from November 1940 by Emanuel Ringelblum and the Oneg Shabbat group, buried in 1942-1943 and partly recovered after the war.
Where is the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw?
At Tlomackie, in the building of the former Main Judaic Library, where the institute has been headquartered since 1947.
Why is the Ringelblum Archive famous?
It is one of the most important records of Jewish life and death under Nazi occupation, and it is inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.
Sources
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