The two-part permanent exhibition Sources of Civilisation's Energy - the History of Fossil Fuels and Ignacy Łukasiewicz - Pioneer of the Oil Industry are thematic exhibitions presenting the extraction and processing of high-energy raw materials that have been the backbone of the world's energy industry for many decades: oil, coal and lignite, and natural gas.

The first part of the exhibition focuses the visitor's attention on the origins and history of energy sources and takes a closer look at techniques for extracting them, as well as touching on the youngest and most efficient of these, fissile materials, which are the basis of nuclear power. A comparison of the constantly improving techniques for extracting minerals and extracting energy from them, mainly by means of thermal conversion, gives an idea of the extraordinary scale of progress over the centuries.

The second part of the exhibition is a tribute to the great inventor Ignacy Łukasiewicz, referring to the bicentenary of his birth. The spread of, and consequently the dependence of the modern world economy on oil has its origin in the work of the brilliant Pole. The pharmaceutical beginnings of his career by no means foreshadowed the upheaval that Łukasiewicz experienced as a result of his research into the use of oil. It was he who erected the first oil wells and perfected the technology for producing highly efficient and safe fuels. While developing the country's oil fields, he was also the creator of a new, thoroughly humanist model of employee employment. While looking after the interests of the company, he created a social sphere that promoted work safety and the improvement of employees' qualifications. The progressive figure of Ignacy Łukasiewicz is an unquestionable source of pride for the Polish nation.

The issues addressed in this exhibition project are intertwined. It is impossible to tell the history of fossil fuels without telling the story of Łukasiewicz. On the one hand, we have a story about a man of unquestionable merit for oil mining - in the field of exploration methods, extraction methods and, finally, the processing of the raw material, and, on the other hand, a presentation of a huge range of topics covering the formation of matter, uranium ore, coal, lignite, peat, oil, natural gas and the methods of processing these minerals into such a form that they can be optimally used for energy purposes and beyond.

The extensive scenography of the exhibitions refers to the atmosphere of the mine and the surroundings of the mining sites. Visitors have the unique opportunity, while staying inside the museum interiors, to feel the atmosphere of a mine walkway and to visit a section of the underground workings. They will become acquainted with ancient and modern tools used in mining and, thanks to rich multimedia, they will be able to freely explore the vast resources of knowledge.

This story begins in a very distant time, some 13.8 billion years ago, and ends in an era of real and painful energy problems. An era in which hope is offered by the use of phenomena that had such a remote beginning. Man has always benefited from nature, observed his environment and nature in order to base his actions on this and begin to imitate it. This is where the source of our development, progress and science should be sought.