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On 26 November, the Museum of the Origins of the Polish State in Gniezno opened an exhibition entitled "Początki Litwy / Początki Litwy / Lietuvos ištakos / Origins of Lithuania", featuring exhibits from the collections of the National Museum of Lithuania and the Museum of the Kernavė Archaeological Site, which trace the founding of the Lithuanian state.
The exhibition will introduce visitors to the history of Lithuania, starting with the Baltic tribes that inhabited the area, through the wars and crusades of the early Middle Ages, up to the unification of the country and the coronation of Mindaugas as king. As Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, celebrates its 700th birthday in 2023, it is an excellent opportunity to present an exhibition to the Polish public on the history of its north-eastern neighbours.
The exhibition will also present burial customs, the army and the material culture of the common people and the elite. Throughout the exhibition, visitors are guided through a timeline highlighting the most important dates in Lithuanian history. It also highlights events in Polish history known to the public that took place at a similar time.

The exhibition presents more than 600 exhibits from the collections of the National Museum of Lithuania and the Kernavė State Cultural Reserve. It has been created by an international team of Polish and Lithuanian curators to ensure a high standard of content. The exhibition includes antique leather and bone, jewellery, weapons and armour, and women's grave goods. Each of these categories will be broadly represented by artefacts specific to individual Baltic tribes. The first Lithuanian coins will also be exhibited.

The organisers of the exhibition:

Museum of the Origins of the Polish State in Gniezno

National Museum of Lithuania

National Museum of Gniezno, State Cultural Reserve of Kernavė

Curators of the exhibition:

Povilas Blaževičius (Lithuanian National Museum)

Austėja Luchtanaitė ( State Cultural Reserve of Kernavė)

Marta Siłakowska (Museum of the Origins of the Polish State in Gniezno)

Valdas Steponaitis (Lithuanian National Museum)

Šarūnė Valotkienė (Lithuanian National Museum)

Curatorial team:

Marcelina Chrzanowska (Museum of the Origins of the Polish State in Gniezno)

Jakub Szostak (Museum of the Origins of the Polish State in Gniezno)