Rocks and minerals have served man for millennia. Depending on their size, shape and colour, they have been used as talismans, weapons, tools or valuable building blocks. The latter use has made it possible to create monumental buildings that impress with their craftsmanship and durability.

The exhibition "Polish Building Stone, Past and Present" presents selected stone materials from quarries in various regions of Poland, which have been used in construction for centuries and can be found in the architectural decoration of Polish cities. Some of the stone materials on display are no longer quarried, but most are still available for construction. The wall panels on display are 60 x 50 cm and the order is based on the genesis of the rocks. One side of the staircase features compact limestone, commonly referred to as "Kielce marbles", and represented mainly by rocks from the quarries of the Świętokrzyskie region. A sequence of carbonate sedimentary rocks transitions into metamorphosed crystalline limestones - marbles proper from the Sławniowice and Stronie Śląskie deposits.