The POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews and the National Institute of Cultural Heritage are in the process of unveiling markers with QR codes at five Jewish cemeteries in Poland.
So far, dedication ceremonies have been held at Jewish cemeteries in Orla, Góra Kawaria, Brok, and Tuszyn. And another ceremony is planned for October 19 at the Jewish cemetery in Szamotuły.
Each ceremony inaugurates a metal panel, shaped like a matzevah. The panels include basic informative text in Polish and Hebrew identifying the site as a Jewish cemetery — but also a QR code that visitors can access on their smartphones or tablets to access a page describing broader characteristics of the cemetery on the web site zabytek.pl — a portal run by the National Institute of Cultural Heritage that provides information about Polish historic monuments in general, including descriptions, documentation, photos, location, and, for some, digital resources such 3D models.
In each town, the ceremony will be accompanied by a rich educational programme addressed to the local community. The programme will acquaint the participants with a different dimension of the history of their towns and expand their knowledge of traditions related to Jewish cemeteries.
The markers project is funded by a grant awarded to POLIN Museum by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway as part of the EEA and Norway Grants, as well as by state funds allocated from the national budget.
The ceremonies and the accompanying programme that forms part of the POLIN museum’s broader “Jewish Cultural Heritage” program.
QR codes are increasingly used to mark heritage and other sites — including Jewish heritage sites.
Click HERE to read our article about the use of QR codes to mark gravestones in Eisenstadt and Wiener Neustadt, Austria.
Read more about the project on the POLIN web site
Scroll through the Friends of POLIN Museum Facebook page for more info and pictures
Access the zabytek.pl web site