The National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania was founded in 2009 to collect, preserve, conserve, restore, research, interpret, and display in the restored historical residence of Vilnius Lower Castle the history and cultural heritage of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and its rulers, especially the rich and important collections of archaeological artifacts and European decorative and fine arts from the Gothic to the Baroque periods as well as important materials related to Lithuanian philology. This reconstructed historical residence in the heart of Lithuania’s capital aspires to become, once again, the traditional symbol of Lithuania’s long-lived statehood, an object of national pride, a center for civic education and historical consciousness-raising, a unifying force for Lithuanians from around the world, and an important venue for state ceremonial events and the dissemination of tourist information about Lithuania and its historic sites.