Lajos Kocsis (born in 1909) retired miner enthusiastically collected the fossils found in the Bakony for more than 50 years. He donated a significant part of his gigantic collection to the town of Sümeg in 1984. The permanent exhibition represents a rich selection of these items.

To the memory of Jóhn Ilona (Lilike) her husband, dr. István Szondy purchased the house of the family (8 Váralja Rd, Sümeg), then renovated and furnished it by fine art, ethnographic and applied art items, which he gifted to the town of Sümeg in 1988.

Sümeg is known as one of the important centers of the Hungarian baroque art. Its architectronic excellences - the Pontifical Palace and its outbuildings; the Franciscan and the parish church with the frescos of Franz Anton Maulbertsch - represent an outstanding value of the baroque art. The origin of the wooden statue of St Clara (18th century) can be connected to the Franciscan presence in the town. The large oil picture of bishop Márton Bíró keeps the mempory of the active artistic supporter of the town.

Probably the potter guild was organized by the end of the 18th century. The guild flag seen in the exhibition was made in 1841. The pottery art had its real peak period at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, when about 80-100 masters were working in 50 workshops of the town. The appearence of the enamel utensils led to the decline of the pottery craft. In 1943 there were only 3 potters working in Sümeg.