Prehistory of the Ventspils region. The exhibition tells of the earliest history of the region, from the arrival of the first inhabitants, the Stone Age communities of hunters, fishers and gatherers, up to the farmers and stock-keepers of the Iron Age. In chronological terms, the exhibition covers the period from the 8th mill. BC up to the early 13th century AD. The exhibits are stray finds from the collections of Ventspils Museum and the Latvian History Museum.

Material culture of the Couronians, Livs and Latvians in the 13th-19th century. The exhibition reflects changes in the material culture of the local population from the beginning of the Middle Ages up to the end of the Early Modern Era. The main themes are dress, ornaments, utensils, weapons and items of everyday use, which permit an insight into the way of life and thinking of people in the past.

The exhibition Ventspils as a town of craft-workers and traders in the 14th-19th century uses material from the museum’s collections to show the way of life of the townspeople, their activities and economy, and changes in the ethnic composition of the town’s population over the course of history.

Life in the castle under the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia. A display of interiors intended to give an impression of life in the castle in the 17th-18th century.

Life on estates in the Ventspils region and the lifestyle of the estate-owners in the 16th-19th century. Displaying objects and furniture connected with life on the estates in the 16th-19th century.

The so-called Burgomaster’s Room, where items will be displayed relating to the heads of the city administration and their lifestyle.

Kapitula zāle. 16.-18. gs. karšu ekspozīcija. Tajās attēlota Kurzeme, Ventspils dažādos laika posmos. Daļa karšu iegādātas dažādu Rietumeiropas valstu antikvariātos.

Pils kapela. Ekspozīcijā skatāmi Sefrensu dzimtas u.c. koktēlnieku darbi.

The display The city of Ventspils tells the history of the city through material evidence of its past-structural elements and everyday items, and shows the city’s development as seen in historic maps. Interesting artefacts found in excavations over the past decades are displayed, including a 15th century wooden door. A display of old postcards gives the visitor a feel for the milieu of the town in the late 19th and early 20th century.

The exhibition on the top floor of the castle tower is devoted to the history of the port of Ventspils. There is a model of the port as it was at the beginning of the 20th century, models of ships that arrived in the port of Ventspils at various times in history, maps and a compass. The visitor can also view the port, the ships and the city at the present day with the help of modern computer-guided technology.

An exhibition about a period in the history of the former castle of the Livonian Order from 1832 until 1959, when it served as a prison. In the building constructed in the 19th century to house the prison administration and in the solitary cells the visitor can see the interior of the cells and objects connected with the everyday life of the prisoners.

The oldest original documents in the collection date from the 18th century: the archives of the churches of Ugāle, Landze, Piltene, Puze and Zlēkas, commands issued by the rulers of the Russian Empire and various authorities, and also the archive of Ēdole Parish Board. A large part of the collection consists of the personal archives of prominent individuals of Ventspils and the region.

The oldest works in the collection are religious books published in the early 17th century (including the so-called Glück Bible). A large part consists of teaching literature and periodicals published in various periods. An important part of the collection consists of books, calendars and press published in Ventspils, and works by authors from Ventspils and the region.

The items in the collection have mainly been obtained in the course of fieldwork organised by the museum in the villages of Ventspils District. It reflects the material culture and everyday life of the population from the 19th century onwards. A rich part of the collection consists of items relating to flax processing, and everyday utensils. The most elaborate item is the Ventspils regional costume.

The collection consists mainly of works by Ventspils artists, and many of the paintings show views of Ventspils. The collection is characterised by a diversity of genres and styles. The most important part of the collection consists of work by Jānis Tīdemanis. There is also quite a large collection of work by Kārlis Danne and works by Jānis Straume. Unusual are the so-called ‘na?ve paintings’. In recent years the collection has been augmented with works by teachers of the Latvian Academy of Art from plein aire sessions in Ventspils.