Jüdisches Museum München

Description

At Sankt-Jakobs-Platz the Jüdisches Museum München (hebräisch המוזיאון היהודי במינכן) is part of the local Jewish Center and is supported by the Münchner Kulturreferat. The official opening took place on 22 March 2007.

The idea for a Jewish museum in Munich dates back to the late 1920s. After the Holocaust the founding was again advocated, but initially remained unrealized. In the 1980s a small private Jewish museum was established on Maximilianstraße, occupying 28 square metres. After about ten years the Israelitische Kultusgemeinde took over the collection and set up an interim museum at Reichenbachstraße 27. This interim stage was operated until 2001; it was then converted into a municipal institution in cooperation with the Münchner Stadtmuseum and the Stadtarchiv.

With the planning for the new main synagogue and the community centre at Sankt-Jakobs-Platz the present museum was built. The Landeshauptstadt München provided €13.5 million for the construction. Inside, a straight staircase that runs without changes of direction connects three levels; this so-called Himmelsleiter culminates in a skylight and brings daylight into the building. Since 2008 it has been possible to perform an Austrian Gedenkdienst at the museum.

The museum's exhibition space comprises a total of 900 square metres across three levels. In the basement is the permanent exhibition "Stimmen‑Orte‑Zeiten", which is dedicated to the Jewish history and present of Munich. The first and second floors feature changing special exhibitions on different themes. The exhibitions are complemented by a study room and a specialist library. In its first year of operation the museum recorded approximately 100,000 visitors.