The museum at Ústí nad Labem has in its possession the town's art collections as well as collections relating to the town's history and archaeological and scientific objects. With its holdings of some 200,000 exhibits, including 60,000 books as well as 2,000 manuscripts and graphics, the museum is one of the Czech Republic's most important regional museums.
One highlight is the natural history collection amassed in the nineteenth century and presenting the flora and fauna of north-western Bohemia, the Bohemian uplands, and the Ore Mountains.
The historical department has a collection including 10,000 photographs, negatives and historical postcards. Weapons and other militaria illustrate the history of the period around 1813 (Battle of Kulm). A special highlight is the permanent exhibition "Our Germans" about the German-speaking population in Bohemia and Moravia over the course of around 800 years. It is the only exhibition on this subject in the Czech Republic.
The visual arts and handicrafts are represented by Late Gothic woodcuts and landscape paintings of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as well as historical furniture and glass work.
The interactive programme "Tiled Stove" is geared to young people who would like to learn more about everyday life in the Middle Ages. The example of a potter, for instance, teaches them that medieval craftsmen not only had to be masters of their craft, but also merchants and artists.
