The museum is housed in an eclectic palace built in 1896. It was established in 1909 on the initiative of historians and patriotic circles from Przemysl, which decided to set up the Friends of Arts and Sciences Society and a museum.
The museum owns one of Poland’s largest collection of icons. Permanent exhibitions: The Przemysl Region: "A History of Its Land and People" – Roman and Byzantine coins, pectorals, steals, military; "Interior of a Traditional Peasant House" – traditional furnishings, articles of daily use, national costumes; "The Battle of Somosierra", “Three Denominations – Two Religions” – sacred art of Judaism, Roman Catholic and Graeco Catholic confessions; “The fortress of Przemysl during World War I” – military equipment, pictures of Przemysl, the fortress and the Habsburg Family. Sections of the museum: archeology, ethnography, history, art.