Former Jewish student dormitory

From 1926 to 1939, the building served as a Jewish student dormitory (boarding school). One of its most famous residents was Menachem Begin (Mieczysław Biegun), winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978 and Prime Minister of Israel from 1977 to 1983. The building is located in the Praga-North district.

PLEASE NOTE The building is not open to the public. It can only be viewed from the outside.

The building in the Praga Północ (North) district was constructed between 1924 and 1926 and served as a student dormitory (boarding school) for students of Jewish origin. The founder was Moses Koerner, a senator of the city of Warsaw. The construction was financed by Jewish merchants and major entrepreneurs. The dormitory accommodated nearly 300 students. Its most famous resident was the University of Warsaw law student Menachem Begin (Mieczysław Biegun), later Prime Minister of Israel and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

During the occupation period from 1939 to 1945, the dormitory functioned as a civilian hospital. After the Red Army entered Warsaw, the building was taken over by the Soviet Ministry of the Interior (NKVD). Numerous political prisoners were brutally interrogated here, and many were tortured to death.

Later, the building was once again converted into a student dormitory, this time for students of an officers’ academy.

Currently, the building houses a hotel for police officers. The Jewish community is seeking to regain ownership of the building and the surrounding property.

Image © Adrian Grycuk