In the Narva castle (Estonia) opened exhibition representing the National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania consists of 33 informative stands in English and Russian. They present a brief overview of the historical development of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania from the earliest times to their reconstruction. Most attention is centred on the 14th–15th-century Gothic castle, located where the later Palace was built, during the reign of Gediminas, Algirdas, Jogaila, Vytautas, Casimir and Alexander Jagiellon, as well as the Renaissance and Early Baroque palaces that were constructed and expanded in the 16th–first half of the 17th centuries by Sigismund the Old, Bona Sforza, Sigismund Augustus and the rulers from the Vasa dynasty. The history of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania is conveyed in the wider context of the early Lithuanian state, and cultural and artistic development, with a description of each ruler’s specific input into the expansion of the residence.
The exhibition also reflects the processes of the Palace’s looting, destruction and eventual reconstruction, spanning the period from the mid-17th century to the early 21st century. Visitors are introduced to information about the archaeological research conducted at the Palace territory that commenced in 1987, the idea of reconstructing the Palace and its realization, and the reinstatement of the multi-functional use of this historic residence, plus the ways and scope in which this project has received support.
The exhibition’s commentary is enhanced with original iconographic material of the Palace’s authentic appearance and the rulers’ portraits, as well as photographs of the most valuable archaeological finds, and the donated and acquired treasures for exhibition of the interiors of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania.
