Welcome to the website of the Płońsk Memorial House
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The idea behind the creation of the Memorial
House
The Memorial House was created in response to the long-standing need for a place commemorating the history of two nations that have coexisted in one city for nearly 500 years – Polish and Jewish, as well as the need for intercultural and intergenerational dialogue. For the needs of the institution being built, revitalization works were carried out on a tenement house located at 2 Warszawska Street – a street that was the center of the social and cultural life of the Płońsk Jewish community before the war.
The need for this type of institution resulted from several reasons. One of them was the desire to create a place dedicated to the Jews of Płońsk scattered all over the world and their descendants, who make numerous sentimental journeys to the country of their ancestors. The Memorial House was also created for tourists visiting Płońsk who want to learn about the history of the city and the fate of its residents, as well as for those who come to visit the birthplace of David Ben-Gurion, co-founder of the State of Israel and its first prime minister.
First of all, it is a place dedicated to the past and present residents of Płońsk, with particular emphasis on the youngest generations, because the memory of the past, passed down from generation to generation, shapes sensitivity, historical awareness and strengthens the sense of local and national awareness and identity.
History of the house at 2 Warszawska Street
The two-story brick tenement house located at 2 Warszawska Street, which is now the seat of the Memorial House, was built at the beginning of the 20th century.
In 1829, the square where the tenement house was built belonged to Abe Hersz Cemach. Previously, it was owned by Maier Szaja. According to the preserved documentation, the name of the designer and builder of the tenement house remains unknown. The building is remembered by the local community as an old pharmacy.
This name refers to the pre-war pharmacy owned by Stanisław Gutowski (1887-1955), a certified pharmacist, social activist, and long-time president of the board of the PMS branch in Płońsk. The building remained in the hands of the Gutowski family until the 1980s. Stanisław Gutowski moved his pharmacy from Ciechanowska Street (founded in 1907) to the newly constructed building.
The pharmacy at 2 Warszawska Street operated continuously until 1975. The pharmacy resumed operations in the building between 1999 and 2005. In the interwar years, apart from the pharmacy, there were residential premises in the tenement house. Until September 1939, living here, among others, were Szoel Ajzenberg – co-owner of the steam sawmill and building materials store under the name “A. Kohn, Sz. Ajzenberg”.