Geological Museum of the State Geological Institute in Warsaw

The Geological Museum of the State Geological Institute was established in 1919, following an appeal by members of the Galician Parliament to the Sejm of the Republic of Poland. The Polish Institute of Geology began operating on May 7, 1919, with Józef Morozewicz as its first director, who emphasized the necessity of a museum for housing fossil specimens and scientific evidence.

The museum's initial collection was curated by its first chief curator, Jan Czarnocki. This collection was formed from specimens gathered by geologists and exhibits donated by the Museum of Industry and Agriculture and the Warsaw University of Technology.

The main building of the Geology Institute, which houses the museum, was partially commissioned in 1930. This coincided with the museum's final relocation from the Staszic Palace. The first floor of the main pavilion, spanning 1500 m2 with additional basement space, was dedicated to the Geological Museum.

By 1939, nearly 200 collections were documented in the Book of Acquisitions, representing several hundred thousand items. This marked a substantial growth in the museum's holdings prior to World War II.

During the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, a significant portion of the museum's collection was destroyed by fire. Approximately 70% of the specimens were lost, with only 30% being saved.

Following the destruction during the Warsaw Uprising, the reconstruction of the Institute and its museum collections commenced in 1945. This effort was led by Roman Kozłowski.

In the 1950s, the museum's collection was enhanced with significant additions, including a specimen of salt from the Wieliczka Crystal Caves, a petrified Carboniferous gymnosperm tree trunk, and skeletons of Pleistocene mammals.

A mammoth skeleton, assembled from bone materials found at the Pyskowice site, was added to the PGI museum's exhibits in the summer of 1957. The assembly was conducted by Prof. Dr. Zbigniew Ryziewicz and Dr. Teresa Czyżewska from the University of Wrocław.

Under the leadership of Dr. Maria Żelichowska, two permanent exhibitions were established in the 1950s: 'Mineral resources of Poland' on the ground floor and 'Stratigraphy of Poland' on the first floor. These displays featured desktop cases with textual and graphic information.

In 1970, the museum expanded its displays with two new exhibitions focused on petrography and mineralogy. These exhibitions showcased approximately 300 minerals and rocks.

On the 90th anniversary of the Polish Geological Institute, a commemorative plaque honoring Paweł Edmund Strzelecki was unveiled. The main exhibition hall was subsequently named after him.

The museum is organized into eight distinct thematic exhibitions, covering a wide range of geological topics. These include 'Material of the Earth', 'Polish building Stone', 'Mineral Resources of Poland', 'Fossilized World', 'Magmatism', 'Sedimentation and Diagenesis', 'Metamorphism', and 'Geological History of Poland 1919-1999'.