The changing historical development of the Klaipėda region in the first half of the 20th century is revealed with the help of the relics of the past gathered in the museum and in private collections, as well as with the help of archival material from Lithuanian archives and libraries. The most significant political, economic, social and cultural events are presented through twelve visual stories. The first ones are about the province of East Prussia in the early 20th century, its history and inhabitants, the First World War and the processes that occurred afterwards.

Maps, photographs and documents illustrate the origins and history of the Klaipėda region between 1920 and 1922, when governance was temporarily handed over to France. The events of the “Klaipėda Revolt” of 10-15 January 1923 are presented in detail, the Klaipėda Convention, signed in Paris on 8 May 1924, which consolidated the joining of the Klaipėda region to Lithuania, is discussed, as well as the significance of the Convention – Lithuania became a maritime country with a national port.

Great amount of attention is given to the peculiarities of the region: the social structure of the population, the peculiarities of the governance, political forces, economic and cultural achievements, and the people who created them. Historical material testifies to Lithuania’s desire to integrate inhabitants into the economic, political and cultural life of the state.

The historical narrative concludes with the events of 1939, when, following German ultimatum, a treaty between Germany and Lithuania was signed in Berlin for the cession of the Klaipėda region. Klaipėda Region ceased to exist as a separate territorial unit.

The following part of the exposition presents original exhibits reflecting the multicultural environment of the city and region of Klaipėda in the first half of the 20th century. These include weapons, awards, company products and everyday objects. Advertising material provides information on the activities of industrial and commercial companies and cultural organisations that operated in the region.

In the virtual continuation of the exposition—the multimedia terminal—visitors can get more information about 1923, more thoroughly explore the 1924 Klaipėda Convention, the 1939 documents on the cession of the Klaipėda region and the 1939 German-Soviet international treaties that determined the fate of the Lithuanian state.

The model of the city from the first half of the 20th century, made by emigrants from the Klaipėda region who settled in Germany (creator and doer G. Grentz), shows Klaipėda’s core – the Old Town. It is also adorned with churches of five different denominations, a whole row of Klaipėda’s oldest educational institutions, as well as residential and other public buildings.