Muzeum i Instytut Zoologii PAN is a

zoological Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and dis ...

museum in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

. It was established in 1819. It is an institute of the

Polish Academy of Sciences The Polish Academy of Sciences ( pl, Polska Akademia Nauk, PAN) is a Polish state-sponsored institution of higher learning. Headquartered in Warsaw, it is responsible for spearheading the development of science across the country by a society of ...

. It publishes the journal ''Acta Chiropterologica'', a scientific journal on bats. The museum was founded in 1819 as a zoological cabinet within the Royal University of Warsaw. The early development was headed by

Feliks Paweł Jarocki Feliks Paweł Jarocki (Pacanów, 14 January 1790 – 25 March 1865, Warsaw) was a Polish zoologist and entomologist. Life Jarocki was a Doctor of Liberal Arts and Philosophy. He organized and managed the Zoological Cabinet of the Royal Univers ...

who was followed in 1862 by

Władysław Taczanowski Władysław Taczanowski (; 17 March 1819, in Jabłonna, Lublin Voivodeship – 17 January 1890, in Warsaw) was a Polish zoologist and collector of natural history who explored the Russian Far East and northern Africa. He specialized mainly in ornit ...

. Taczanowski expanded the collections with help from collectors like

Konstanty Jelski Konstanty Roman Jelski ( be, Канстанцін Ельскі, February 17, 1837–November 26, 1896) was an acclaimed Polish ornithologist and zoologist who explored French Guiana. Jeski was born in Liady village, now in the Smalyavichy Raion o ...

and the brothers Aleksander and Konstanty Branicki who sponsored collecting expeditions into South America and Africa. In 1887 the museum managed by Ksawery Branicki was opened to the public. In 1890 the collection was managed under Russian control by Nikolai Nasonov and from 1906 by Jakow Szczełkanovtsov (until 1915). The museum was called the Polish State Museum of Natural Science in 1921 and after a fire in 1935 the museum was moved to the University of Warsaw. After the Second World War, the museum was headed by Stanisław Feliksiak. In 1952, the museum became part of the Institute of Zoology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. From 1953 to 1959 the museum was headed by Tadeusz Jaczewski. Since 1999, Wiesław Bogdanowicz has been the director of the Museum and Institute of Zoology of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

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Zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

Museums established in 1819 Natural history museums in Poland Institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences {{Warsaw-struct-stub