Since
2004, representative archaeological finds from the
territory of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of
Lithuania and important cultural and historical
artifacts acquired for the palace’s interior
displays have been on exhibit at the Museum of
Applied Arts in Vilnius. In the fall of 2011, these
exhibitions were greatly reorganized, supplemented
by many new objects, and joined into one large
exhibition entitled The Palace Treasury – A
Storehouse of Lithuanian and European Cultural
Heritage.
Many of the objects on display have been preserved
for over two hundred years, as if by a miracle, in
the damp soil of the palace grounds. They include
rare and unique pieces (in the Lithuanian and
European cultural contexts) made of ceramic, stone,
wood, leather, metal, and glass. They reflect the
history of the old Lithuanian state, the riches of
its rulers as well as their everyday life, and the
influence of the palace court on the development of
the nation and events in Central and Northern
Europe.
The objects are displayed chronologically by period
– Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque. In addition to
the archaeological finds, they include furniture,
tapestries, maps, graphic artworks, portraits of
Lithuania’s rulers and nobles, armor, weapons, and
other Lithuanian cultural relics. This exhibition of
over 1,000 artifacts reveals some of Lithuania’s
rich cultural heritage as well as the close cultural
and artistic ties with Europe during the palace’s
existence from the 13th to the 17th centuries.
We invite you to become acquainted with the
Lithuanian and European cultural treasures which in
the near future will adorn the state rooms and
private apartments of the reconstructed Palace of
the Grand Dukes of Lithuania and the exhibition
spaces of the National Museum – Palace of the Grand
Dukes of Lithuania.
;)