Central Bank

The Central Bank room is the most important place in the NBP Money Centre. The history of Polish central banking is presented here – from the 18th century, when the need to establish a national bank was first debated, to modern times. The first Polish central bank was founded in 1828 on the initiative of Franciszek Ksawery Drucki-Lubecki, Minister of the Treasury of the Kingdom of Poland. The next stage was the establishment of Bank Polski SA in reborn Poland, which was founded in 1924 under the reforms of Prime Minister Władysław Grabski.

Narodowy Bank Polski was founded in January 1945 and until 1988, when the process of transforming it into a modern central bank, it was a state-owned bank under the supervision of the Minister of Finance. Narodowy Bank Polski is the central bank of the Republic of Poland. It performs the tasks specified in the Constitution of the Republic of Poland and is independent of other state organs. The multimedia applications placed in this room explain, among others, the objectives and tasks of NBP and the role of the Monetary Policy Council, NBP’s decision-making and advisory body, in determining monetary policy. The showcases in this room display documents and unique numismatic items telling the story of Poland’s banking, among others, the first Polish paper money issued in 1794 during the Kościuszko Uprising.