The scientific collections of the Jagiellonian University Museum in Krakow, Poland – 2024.

What is it about?

On May 6, 1964, as part of the celebrations of the 600th anniversary of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland, the Jagiellonian University Museum, was opened to the public. The oldest building of the Jagiellonian University, Collegium Maius at 15 Jagiellońska Street, Krakow, was chosen as the seat of the Museum. the article focuses on discussing the content of the scientific instrument collection at the Jagiellonian University Museum, its significance, and presenting its most valuable objects. Two sets of scientific artifacts of the highest scientific-historical museum value are those of science. The first one is a set of astronomical instruments from the 15th–17th centuries, including three medieval instruments donated by Marcin Bylica (astrolabe, torquetum, and celestial globe). The second set is the historical equipment of the cryogenics laboratory of Prof. Karol Olszewski, who, together with Prof. Zygmunt Wróblewski, was the first in the world to liquefy oxygen in a static state (1883). The scientific collections of the Jagiellonian University Museum, alongside the collections of the University of Wrocław and other academic collections, are an important source for research on the development of exact and natural sciences

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Photo by Rafael Ishkhanyan on Unsplash

Photo by Rafael Ishkhanyan on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Collecting historical scientific objects is one way of documenting the development of experimental science. In 1364, the first university in Poland was founded in Krakow, Poland. Valuable artifacts from the university's earliest period have survived. They are displayed in the university museum, located in the university's oldest building, which dates back to around 1400. Why is this article important? It illustrates the oldest Polish museum's scientific collections and, indirectly, the achievements of Polish science.

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