About the Museum

The Vilnius Museum is a new space for local people and visitors to learn more about the country’s capital. Opening its doors for the first time in the spring of 2021, the Museum presents unique and yet unknown, but still relevant, views of the city and the stories it tells.
Dynamic and constantly changing, like Vilnius itself, the Museum plans to put on two or three exhibitions each year, based on original studies of urban life. It is devoted purely to Vilnius, and invites visitors to take a closer look at the city, and discover something unexpected in its familiar spaces.

The mission of the Museum is to nurture perceptive and knowledgeable residents of the city.

The purpose of the Museum is to research and present various aspects of life in Vilnius in an up-to-date way, and to collect artefacts relating to the city’s history.

The values of the Museum are openness, collaboration, professionalism, constant improvement, respect, responsiveness and creativity.

To the Museum, the city is its natural landscape, from the flora and fauna to the air and its running waters. The city is a human creation, the sum of its buildings and public spaces, and all its architectural, urban and engineering features. The city is its culture, the languages that are spoken on its streets, its religions, its nationalities, and glimpses of its everyday life.

The Museum:
  • studies the city and sees it as a whole, by applying an interdisciplinary approach that brings together specialists in urban planning, architecture, sociology, history, anthropology, conservation, the visual arts, literature, music, the history of science and technology, and other areas of expertise.
  • presents new perspectives on Vilnius’ history and culture in a way that is relevant and appealing, raises awareness of forgotten and inconvenient episodes in its history and culture, creates a space for dialogue between cultures, and helps visitors understand the city as it is today.
  • reacts to current events, promotes dialogue between the city developers, creators and the public, and asks questions, instead of just providing answers.
  • is the trusted partner of residents and tourists in their exploration of the city, provides residents with information and in turn absorbs the knowledge they have to offer, and gives visitors a voice, instead of simply broadcasting its own message.

Photos by Sauliuas Žiūra

Photos by Adomas Kačerauskas