The museum is devoted to the history of the city and its inhabitants. There are three main sections: History, Culture and Fine Arts. The history department is the largest in terms of the number of exhibits, tells the history of the city as well as the various manifestations of occupational and social activity of the inhabitants. The Department of Culture is primarily a collection of material culture: furniture, economic equipment, items related to small trade, crafts and services, folk costumes. The Department of Fine Arts documents the artistic activity of the local, Zabrze artistic environment.
There was also a fourth branch specializing in industry, the majority of which was transferred to the Coal Mining Museum in Zabrze, which was established in 1979.