22 March 2007
A new Jewish museum is to open in the heart of Munich. The cube-shaped museum is part of the new complex in the Jakobsplatz square that also houses the city's new synagogue and community center, opened last November. The museum fulfills an initiative first envisioned in 1928 and later revived by Hans Lamm, the long-time head of the city's Jewish community. The building is the second purpose-built Jewish museum in Europe, after one designed by architect Daniel Libeskind which opened in Berlin in 2001. "The building should appeal to Jews and non-Jews alike and be a venue for open discussion about Jewish history, art and culture," Munich's mayor Christian Ude said in a statement. The museum's permanent exhibition will focus on aspects of Jewish life past and present, with a focus on religious rites and festivals of the Jewish year. Objects currently on display include Renaissance manuscripts, a Jewish wedding ring from 1500, and a 550-year-old prayer book for the Jewish Sukkoth holiday. The museum will open to the public on 23 March.
