Jewish Culture and Urban Form: A Case Study of Central Poland before the Holocaust

Urban morphology provides a way to read the city, enabling us to recreate past situations and understand the Jewish-Polish culture in central Poland before the Holocaust. Jewish society in pre-Holocaust Poland was an example of self-organizing complexity, with edifices and public and semi-private space conveying meanings related to the Jewish culture. The specific atmosphere that still lingers there recalls the long-gone Jewish culture, with unique settlement patterns indicating a separate spatial order.

Format: Hardback
Length: 344 pages
Publication date: 26 September 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Urban morphology has provided a wealth of lenses through which we can interpret the city, spanning a diverse range of disciplines. When combined with ethnographic studies, it enables us to delve into the past and re-create the everyday life of long-gone eras. Urbanscapes, the tangible manifestations of urban life, have left us with a narrative woven into the pages of this book.

The concepts of time and space play a crucial role in portraying the Jewish-Polish culture in central Poland before the Holocaust. Through meticulous research, it has been established that Jewish society in pre-Holocaust Poland exemplified self-organizing complexity. This complexity had a profound impact on the unique character of the spaces that remain. Numerous features corroborate this influence. Not only do the edifices, both public and private, convey meanings associated with Jewish culture, but public and semi-private spaces also tell the story of bygone social situations. The specific atmosphere that still lingers there evokes memories of the long-lost Jewish culture, with the unique settlement patterns indicating a distinct spatial order.

In this book, the Author presents a vivid and comprehensive account to a global audience of practitioners and theorists in urban and Jewish studies. This work will be of interest to researchers and students exploring Jewish communities in Poland, Jewish-Polish society, urbanization, and Jewish-Polish Culture. It offers valuable insights into the complex tapestry of this historical period.

Weight: 830g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032069357