Upholding Memories
In the center of Warsaw, between the Palace of Culture and Science and the Świętokrzyska metro station, we came across a plot of land fenced in with corrugated iron in February 2023. Nothing special in itself, but through a large hole in the fence we discovered a meadow on which architectural models were arranged. Curiosity and a desire to explore led us to slit through the hole in the fence. We were amazed and fascinated by the beauty of the intricately crafted building models. And amazed that they were so defencelessly exposed to decay and vandalism. All of them were already badly damaged, some destroyed beyond recognition.
We were drawn to the site again and again and began to do some research. It turned out that this place was the former Województwa Mazowieckiego Miniature Park. Its miniatures are meticulously researched, detailed replicas of important buildings that were destroyed in the Second World War or during the subsequent occupation. All of them are magnificent buildings that made up the charm of old Warsaw and earned it the reputation as the Paris of the East.
Our research revealed that the exhibition had to move several times in the city.Unfortunately, it was neither supported by public authorities nor by politicians.Ultimately, in 2020, the initiator Mr. K. was forced to buy the current property with private funds in order to save the miniature park and give it a safe place.
Funding from entrance fees collapsed during the coronavirus crisis, the park had to close and could no longer be maintained.Thus began the decline, weather and time left their mark, the miniatures were lost piece by piece, just like their role models, in whose memory they were erected.
At the time of our discovery, 9 of the 14 miniatures still existed in more or less poor condition. We were particularly impressed by the model of the Great Synagogue.In addition to its historical significance, we were captivated by the interesting architecture and the wealth of detail.In the POLIN (Museum of the History of Polish Jews) we learned about the history of the building, which was destroyed by the Nazis in 1943 after the suppression of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The museum also has a miniature, but it cannot compete with the one in the park in terms of size and detail. Why didn't the museum take over the synagogue model and save it? We were left with this question: why were the miniatures left to decay? What about our culture of remembrance if we abandon such important, elaborately and lovingly recreated testimonies of the past to neglect? We did not want to resign ourselves to this and set out in search of ways to draw attention to this lost work once again. The hope grew in us that there might still be a way to save at least a few of the miniatures.
At this point, we needed first-hand information. We tried to get in touch with the former operators of the park, with the owner, Mr. K., and with other people involved. Unfortunately, with little success - the website and telephone numbers were no longer active and feedback was sparse. Our request to exhibit one of the models in public also went unanswered. In the meantime, we cleared the site of garbage and struck up conversations with passersby. There were some rumors circulating about the park and Mr. K. As the weeks went by, we saw the condition of the models getting worse and worse and we decided to at least move the model of the Great Synagogue to a safe place. It was the miniature we wanted to exhibit and we once again informed Mr. K. of our plans.
The synagogue was standing on a broken table tennis board in the grounds. Our idea was to build ceramic supports for it for the exhibition. We wanted to counteract the decay with something that had a certain lightness to it, but still spoke of care and appreciation. The matt ceramic objects were intended to symbolically uphold the memory and were given different shapes. Some appeared to have grown organically, others resembled columns, static constructions or jacks. Only together can they balance the weight of the model and keep it stable in space.
To accompany the exhibition, we designed a book that contextualized the installation. It documents the model's journey with images sorted chronologically backwards: Starting with our presentation in 2023, through the years of decay, as well as those before that in the intact park, up to its creation. We found the older pictures online, and some were also sent to us.
We invited everyone involved in the park to the exhibition, but unfortunately Mr. K. didn't come. Instead, Ryszard Maczewski, the historian who was involved in the research and construction of the miniatures, showed up. He took a lot of time and told us the tragic story of the park in detail. He and others involved accuse Mr. K. of deliberately exposing the park to public destruction as an example. A Jewish foundation, for example, had expressed interest in renting several models. A new home would certainly have been found for most of the models after the closure. Everyone involved was very disappointed and saddened by what had happened.
Together with the historian, we discussed the next steps. We didn't want to give up hope of restoring the model and putting it in a place where it would be appreciated. Ryszard still had a cell phone number of a person who was very close to Mr. K. and was our last hope. But we couldn't reach anyone on this number either. So we had no choice but to bring the model back after our exhibition and leave it to urban composting. Ryszard wanted to do this on the anniversary of the destruction of the Great Synagogue, May 16th. After the end of our semester abroad in June, we traveled to Warsaw again in September to check on the miniatures. The site had been cleared in the meantime. The now manageable fragments of the miniatures were piled up in a heap like bulky rubbish. We were glad we hadn't arrived too late and so we were able to watch as the last recognizable fragment of the model of the Great Synagogue was recovered by passers-by.