The Jewish Pavilion at Auschwitz-Birkenau –
A Personal Journey into the Soul Through Six Dimensions

This project was born from the question of how to add a new and meaningful layer to the visit to Auschwitz—without competing with the existing historical exhibitions and without repeating the story already told during the visit to the camp itself. The concept sought to give the Jewish Pavilion a unique identity, complementing the visitor experience through a personal, emotional, and spiritual journey exploring the meaning of the annihilation of the Jewish people.

The solution was based on the symbolic idea of a journey through six dimensions—six psychological and spiritual stages accompanying the visitor from the tangible world into a realm of inner reflection.

The first dimension is the personal story—an intimate theatrical audio drama that accompanies the visitor and transforms them from an observer into a participant.

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The second dimension, the Plane of Darkness, reveals the process of human deterioration—from incitement and demonization to deportation and extermination. Opposite it stands the Plane of Light, presenting the spiritual, cultural, and moral world of Judaism and emphasizing the power of life and faith in the face of destruction.

The visitor then passes through the Valley of the Shadow of Death—a symbolic space of loss, pain, and confrontation with the limits of human existence. From there, the visitor arrives at the installation of the “Letters Taking Flight,” which connects the smoke of the crematoria with Jewish tradition and expresses the idea that the body may be destroyed, but the spirit, memory, and values cannot be extinguished.

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The journey reaches its climax in the Hall of Remembrance, a quiet space for reflection and commemoration, in which the visitor shifts from someone who has witnessed events to someone who processes them within their own inner world.

The design language was based on a combination of architecture, light, shadow, water, glass, reflections, video art, and a theatrical soundtrack. Its sources of inspiration were drawn from Jewish culture and tradition—“the Pillar of Fire and the Pillar of Cloud,” “the Letters Taking Flight,” “the Vision of the Dry Bones,” “the Valley of the Shadow of Death,” and the Hall of Remembrance—and translated into a contemporary museum environment in which symbolism is no less important than historical fact.

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The pavilion was designed as a conceptual complement to the Auschwitz visitor route. Rather than adding historical information, it sought to provide visitors with the time and space for contemplation, internalization, and personal reflection. This is not a journey between exhibits, but a journey through six dimensions of memory, identity, and meaning, at the end of which the visitor leaves not only with additional knowledge, but with deeper questions about humanity, personal responsibility, and the strength of the human spirit.

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The project was developed in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team that included content specialists, theater professionals, artists, lighting designers, and visual communication experts. Although it was never realized, it remains one of the most ambitious and complex conceptual projects I have developed in the field of museum and memorial-site design.