Welcome
Our main research interests are: diversity, geography and history of animals as well as their ecology, biology and conservation.
The Institute has a modern molecular and biometric lab and the progress of hitherto existing research is marked by intensive international cooperation. Our Museum owns one of the biggest and most valuable zoological collections in Europe.
Apart from the headquarters of the Institute, which are situated in Warsaw, MIZ PAS constitutes of two field stations: in Łomna near Warsaw and in Ustrzyki Dolne (the Bieszczady Mountains).
The MIZ PAS Director post is held by dr hab. Tomasz Mazgajski and research activities are supervised by the Scientific Council.
Among a number of our publications there are three journals indexed/abstracted by Thompson Scientific (Philadelphia Journal List).
History of the Museum and Institute of Zoology
The origin of the Museum and Institute dates back to the 19th century. After purchasing the zoological collection of Baron Sylwiusz Minckwitz from Gronowice in Silesia in 1818 , the Commission of Religion and Public Education of the Polish Kingdom created the Zoological Cabinet at the Chair of Zoology of the Royal University of Warsaw in 1819.
Its first curator being Doctor of Liberal Arts and Philosophy, Feliks Pawel Jarocki, soon nominated an "adopted professor" and the head of the Chair of Zoology. Minckwitz's collection included about 20,000 specimens, among which the bird collection was especially valuable. A part of the collection has been preserved till now in the Museum's collection.
