FINNISH ARCHITECTS LAHDELMA AND MAHLAMAKI ARE WINNERS OF ARCHITECTURAL COMPETITION FOR THE MUSEUM OF THE HISTORY OF POLISH JEWS IN WARSAW, POLAND

NEW YORK- JUNE 30th

An international jury convened in Warsaw to announce that Finnish architects Ilmari Lahdelma and Rainer Mahlamaki have won the architectural competition for the building of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews. The two architects specialize in designing museums and multi-function cultural centers (to visit their website go to http://www.ark-l-m.fi/). They have won 27 first prizes in open competitions and those by private invitation. Their main clients are state institutions, local governments, universities and church institutions.

Two internationally acclaimed New Yorkers, Daniel Libeskind and Peter Eisenman, were in the pool of finalists, together with a group of nine other prominent architects shortlisted in the second phase of the competition. Over 150 architects from all over the world applied in the first phase and sent in their extraordinary portfolios for consideration.”The immense interest of the international community of architects showered on our competition for the Museum building transformed it into an international cultural event,” said Michal Borowski, Warsaw’s chief architect. The jury was comprised of many internationally regarded architectural professors including Kenneth Framptom of Columbia Universtiy as chariman of the committee.

Finalists of the Architectural Competition ending June 30th, 2005

Andrzej Bulanda, Poland
David Chipperfield, UK
Marek Dunikowski, Poland
Peter Eisenman, USA
Zvi Hecker, Israel/Germany
Kengo Kuma, Japan
Daniel Libeskind, USA
Rainer Mahlamaeki, Finland
Jose Lluis Mateo, Spain
Jesus Hernandez Mayor, The Netherlands
Gesine Weinmiller, Germany

The Museum which has been making headlines in Poland, Israel and the USA, long before its groundbreaking, will be an important cultural center devoted to the history of the Jewish community in Poland which spans over 900 years.

The permanent exhibit of the Museum designed by London based Events Communications has been completed prior to the architectural competition and was the base for the design as presented to the architects. The narrative and multimedia Museum is scheduled to open in 2008 and is designed to be a living cultural and educational center.
For more information about the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, please visit

www.jewishmuseum.org.pl

BACKGROUND

The Museum of the History of Polish Jews is the first and only comprehensive project in Central and Eastern Europe celebrating almost 1000 years of the Jewish culture and civilization. Upon its completion, the Museum will:

ˇ Showcase the Jewish-Polish identity that developed in a region where 80% of the world's Jews have their roots.

ˇ Serve as a living educational center that will contribute to the ongoing, international struggle against anti-Semitism, bigotry and intolerance in all its forms.

ˇ Educate present and future generations about the history of a civilization, about which little in known in the world today, by virtue of the Museum's rich content, its innovative and interactive design and its wealth of well-organized information and striking architecture.

In January 2005 the City of Warsaw pledged to build the Museum in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture of Poland and the Association of the Jewish Historical Institute on a previously donated plot of land vis-a-vis the Nathan Rappaport Memorial of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The Museum will be visited by hundreds of thousands of visitors from Europe and the rest of the world, including Polish students and Jewish youth groups. It will also be a major cultural destination for many Americans and other tourists, the first of its kind in Eastern Europe.


To schedule a phone interview with Museum Director, Jerzy Halbersztadt in Warsaw, Steve Solender, chairman of the Museum North American Council or for more information about the Museum, please contact Lee Lowell at 914-263-9935 or by email at Lowelll@UJAFEDNY.ORG , Christina Orwicz-Gantcher at 212-799-0206 or by email at cogantcher1@nyc.rr.com

Christina Orwicz-Gantcher
917-612-4455
212-799-0206
cogantcher1@nyc.rr.com