Jan Ziomek Geological Museum
ul. Kopcińskiego 31
90-142 Łódź
Tel. (42) 635 45 93
muzgeol@geo.uni.lodz.pl
www.muzeum.geo.uni.lodz.pl
Admission charges (please see the Museum website).
Mondays – Fridays: 9 am – 3 pm
Director: Marcin Krystek PhD
The Geological Museum was established by decision of the Committee of the Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences on 1 March 2000. The museum was created thanks to the great passion for collecting and persistence of Jan Ziomek PhD, who headed the unit until 30 September 2012 and worked there until his death on 12 November 2014. On 12 May 2015 the museum was named after him. The newly founded Geological Museum was located in post-industrial buildings at ul. Kopcińskiego 21 which were especially adapted for the purpose. Some of the exhibits which became the property of the Geological Museum originated from the Museum of the Earth, a small establishment operating from May 1999 to February 2000 within the Department of Geology, Geosynoptics and Sustainable Development, of which Jan Ziomek was the curator. Other exhibits of the Geological Museum of that time were obtained during research work carried out by former employees of the University of Łódź in the field of chemistry and mineralogy (Prof. Jan Wojciechowski, Halina Budzyńska) as well as palaeontology (Halina Hurcewicz). The collection was considerably expanded over the years mainly thanks to donations by individuals and companies, purchases and the research activities of faculty employees.
The museum’s exhibits are on display on two floors covering a total of 660 sq. metres. The top floor contains minerals arranged according to a scheme of classification; minerals from major mineralogical sites, France, Romania, Czech Republic and Slovakia; agates; meteorites and tektites, and synthetic crystals. The lower floor includes decorative rocks used in architecture, glacial erratic rocks and Palaeozoic fossils; specimens of regional geology with a particular focus on Central Poland; fossils characteristic of individual geological epochs. There are approx. 4,000 exhibits on display and a further 2,000 items in the storage room. Currently, inventory work is being carried out to compile comprehensive digital documentation of the collections. The Faculty of Geographical Sciences is directly subordinated to the dean of the faculty. School groups are the most frequent visitors – apart from visiting the exhibition, they also attend themed lectures. The museum also runs educational classes for students from other departments of the University of Łódź and the Łódź University of Technology.
Marcin Krystek PhD
