In the archaeology exposition the culture of people who lived in the seaside area from ancient times until the 13th century is being presented. The exhibits here illustrate the end of the last Ice Age and the beginning of warmer climate: limestone with corals and molluscs from the mountains of Scandinavia, oak chips from a gravel pool of the Minija river. The Neolithic period is represented by articles made of bone, horn and flint. Sets of amber works from Palanga and Šventoji settlements stand out. Solar motifs are reflected by later monuments and material cultural legacy.
On show there are sets of ornaments made by Baltic craftsman-jewellers, separate unique openwork articles: brooches and necklaces, brass brooches decorated with red enamel, covered in tin to imitate silver. Necklaces on show made of turned amber beads and subtle pendants speak about the importance of amber as a protective charm. Also on show there are sets of jewellery of Curonian nobility. They are distinguished by their size, plated with precious metals, made of silver alloys and in exceptional cases decorated with gold. Women's jewellery reflects the symbolism of the sun and the tree of the world. Men's jewellery is dominated by the zoomorphic style. Active trade is witnessed by scales and weights.
In the historical and cultural exposition of the manor exhibits showing the owners of the manor and their most important works in Kretinga and Lithuania are presented in chronological order. The most famous trace in the history of the country was left by the famous Lithuanian military leader and Voivode of Vilnius Jonas Karolis Chodkevičius. At the beginning of the 17th century he founded Kretinga town, built a Franciscan monastery and the church. The most impressive exhibit is the painting of P.Snayersi “The battle of Kircholm”, painted around 1620. It commemorates the victory over the Swedish King Charles IX. The original of the painting is stored in Château de Sassenage castle in France. The museum respectfully preserves and exhibits the cultural heritage of the Juozapas Tiškevičius family. In 1875 the count founded a family residence with the largest private winter garden in Europe; in 1878 he opened the first hydroelectric power station in Lithuania, and in 1882 together with Duke Bogdan Oginski built the first telephone line in Lithuania, Kretinga - Plungė - Rietavas. Portraits, photographs, personal documents and letters talk about the history of the Tiškevičius family; and the dining room furniture with the family's coat of arms "Leliva", splendid vases, sculptures and paintings illustrate their cultural legacy.
Nine treasure troves of silver coins are stored in the numismatic collection of Kretinga Museum. They contain 2,862 coins minted in Vilnius, Stockholm, Königsberg, Riga, Krakow, Torun, Gdansk, Brussels and other cities. The exposition „Numismatics“ exhibits some of the coins of different denominations from these museum treasures. The coins chronologically show the currency from the first half of the 16th century to the second half of the 18th century in Lithuanian territory and depict the Lithuanian state's political and economic development and its place in Europe.
