Parts of the collection inside this intriguing history lesson date back to the 13th century. On permanent display are religious and secular items highlighting the cultural and ethnographic life of the nation, including recreations of traditional homesteads, clothing, paintings, an executioner's sword and much more. Also to be found are some of the items unearthed in a mass grave of Napoleonic soldiers discovered on the outskirts of Vilnius in 2001. The museum also puts on temporary exhibitions.