On July 8^th, representatives of the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IBB PAS), at the invitation of Professor Marcin Jan Kamiński, Deputy Director of the Museum and Institute of Zoology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (MiIZ PAS), visited the MiIZ PAS Research Station in Łomna. The visit offered an opportunity to explore one of Poland’s most important natural history collections and to learn about the history of the specimens and their scientific significance. Built over decades through field expeditions and zoological research conducted by generations of Polish scientists, the Museum’s collections represent an invaluable scientific heritage. They also continue to serve as a unique resource for research on biodiversity, taxonomy, biogeography, and environmental change.

Although Antarctic specimens make up only a small part of the Museum’s extensive collections, they are of exceptional historical value. They include zoological material collected in the 1970s from the Admiralty Bay region of King George Island during the early years of the Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station. These specimens document the beginnings of Poland’s scientific presence in Antarctica and provide a unique record of the zoological research conducted there.

The visit also provided an opportunity to discuss the importance of scientific collections for contemporary research and the potential of historical specimens to support future research projects.