The National Museum of Lithuania (NML), participating in this year’s Vilnius Book Fair, is placing special focus on storytelling as a way to speak about the past to contemporary audiences—through image, text, play and direct experience. Visitors to the museum’s stand will be able to discover newly printed books, try immersive digital publications, be the first to test a demo version of a virtual exhibition about the Museum of Antiquities, and younger readers will have the chance to visit a traveling exhibition about the Ainu people of Japan.

Inclusive Publishing and a Virtual Exhibition

At this year’s Vilnius Book Fair, the NML stand will become not only a space for presenting books, but also one for interactive discovery.

“Visitors will be able to try inclusive EPUB-format publications on tablet computers – ‘History Wags its Tail’ and ‘Lithuania the Size of the World’ – and get to know the accessibility and inclusion possibilities they offer. This marks the National Museum of Lithuania’s leadership in the museum field in developing digital and inclusive publishing,” notes Justė Brukštutė-Šimkė, head of the NML’s Publishing Department.

An exclusive highlight is the presentation of a demo version of NML’s virtual exhibition “Vilnius Museum of Antiquities: A Sanctuary of the Past” at the fair.

“The virtual exhibition will be presented on April 29, 2026, commemorating the 170th anniversary of the country’s first public museum opening its doors to visitors. This preview demo will be exclusively for fair visitors. It is a unique opportunity to be the first to see the exhibition and to look at the history of the NML through a modern, gamified experience,” says Jurga Strimaitienė, head of Communication and Marketing at NML.

New Publications

Visitors to the LNM stand will find the museum’s latest publications. One of the most significant publishing projects of the past year is the distinctively designed and printed album “19th Century Lithuanian Art on the Margins: Overlooked Everyday Life in the City”, prepared in collaboration with the Lithuanian Art Knowledge Center “Tartle.”

“It is a dual-structure publication that can be read both as a collection of articles about everyday life of 19th-century townspeople and as an art album presenting works of Lithuanian art from that period,” says J. Brukštutė-Šimkė.

The museum’s photo album collection has also been expanded with a book by photographer Arūnas Baltėnas, “Nuo pirmadienio iki sekmadienio” – a visual and textual narrative about working people in Lithuania. More than one hundred professions are presented through dignified portraits and first-person accounts, subtly addressing work, identity and human dignity.

“For younger readers, the publication series has been expanded with the educational booklet “A Soul Between Worlds: The Indigenous Ainu of Northern Japan and Ethnographer Bronisław Piłsudski”, inviting readers to explore the culture and symbols of Hokkaido together with an Ainu girl named Paykar. In the context of the exhibition of the same name, a book by Kazuhiko Sawada, “Bronisław Pilsudski: The Man Called King of the Ainu” has also been published, encouraging a broader look at cultural ties between Lithuania and Japan, as well as a special issue of the magazine ‘Dailė’,” says J. Brukštutė-Šimkė.

Archaeology enthusiasts will be able to acquire the long-awaited third volume of the ongoing publication “Kuršiai”, completing the cycle of books dedicated to Baltic tribes.

As every year, visitors will also find well-established museum publications—albums and books on Lithuanian history and culture that have already become classics of NML publishing. During the fair, they will be offered at particularly attractive prices.

The stand’s assortment will also include souvenirs and handmade textile items from an ethnofashion collection.

Events at the Vilnius Book Fair

The Vilnius Book Fair program will also feature presentations of NML publications, discussions and educational activities for a wide range of audiences—from cultural professionals to young readers. During the fair, a specially transported mobile version of the exhibition “A Soul Between Worlds” will be on display, featuring authentic Ainu clothing, exhibits and Japanese comics.

This exhibition will be accompanied by creative workshops for children and families, inviting them to explore Ainu culture, symbols and their connections with Lithuanian traditions.

Book Presentations

February 26, 15:00 – presentation and discussion of K. Sawada’s monograph “Bronisław Pilsudski: The Man Called King of the Ainu” (Conference Hall 1.2)

February 28, 14:00 – presentation of the album “19th Century Lithuanian Art on the Margins: Overlooked Everyday Life in the City” (Conference Hall 1.3)

February 28, 19:00 – presentation of the ‘Dailė’ issue dedicated to the exhibition (New LLA event space)

March 1, 14:00 – presentation of Arūnas Baltėnas’s book “From Monday to Sunday” (Conference Hall 1.2), followed by a book signing at the NML stand

Educational Activities

February 26, 15:00–18:00 and February 27, 10:00–13:00 – educational sessions “In the Footsteps of the Castellan”, Young Readers’ Hall

February 28, 14:00–17:00 – educational creative workshop “A Soul Between Worlds: The Indigenous Ainu of Northern Japan and Ethnographer Bronisław Piłsudski”, Young Readers’ Hall

More information about events and new publications is available at lnm.lt. Visitors are invited to the National Museum of Lithuania stand in Hall 5 (No. 5.C09)—and for those who prefer not to carry their books, purchases can also be made online.

Photos: Silvestras Samsonas, NML