Shells and minerals - an exhibition from the collections of the Natural History Museum in Cracow

Shells have always fascinated man with their beauty. Who among us, strolling along the seashore, doesn’t bend down to pick up a shell glistening in the water? We find the most varied specimens of shells in different waters. Centuries ago, man even used some of them as… money. They were used as tools, utilitarian objects, as decorative motifs, artistic objects and, finally, as objects of scientific research. Sea shells have been and still are an object of collecting.

The exhibition shows magnificent specimens and brings extremely interesting information about the world of shells and molluscs.
Minerals are found in Poland in several hundred varieties, several dozen of which can adorn private collections or museum collections – semi-precious and precious stones, perhaps without the most expensive ones, but of undoubted beauty.

Scientists work on developing them, describing them, defining their uses, the industry consumes billions of tonnes of minerals, and new deposits are constantly being sought.
The types of rock are linked to the Earth’s geological past. Stone was the first tool in the hands of homo sapiens and is still indispensable in various areas of life.
The exhibition reveals the beauty, benefits and mysteries of the minerals found in Poland.