One of the main aims of the Limburgs Museum is to collect and preserve what is important (for subsequent generations). The Limburgs Museum’s collection consists of around 61,000 objects. In the statutes of the Limburgs Museum, the collection policy is set out in one sentence:

The planned collection, conservation, preservation, study, presentation and exhibition of historical and folklore objects, especially to the extent they relate to the Province of Limburg.

Based on that collection policy, the Limburgs Museum has formed the following core collections.

Archaeology

This core collection offers a seamless chronological overview of the presence of mankind in this region from the earliest Stone Age to today. Through its history and archaeological heritage, Limburg forms part of a striking European cultural landscape. Through centuries of uninterrupted habitation, the province has yielded a treasure chest of archaeological finds. Limburg’s archaeological collection is of regional and national significance and belongs to the top in the Netherlands. It offers a seamless chronological overview of the presence of mankind in this region from the earliest Stone Age to today. The Limburgs Museum is the only public institution in Limburg that collects, manages and presents the core collection of Archaeology on a province-wide scale. The core collection of Archaeology is divided into partial collections based on periodization:

• Stone Age
• Metal Ages
• Roman Era
• Middle Ages
• New Age

Visual Culture

This core collection stands for the artistic and/or documentary illustration of Limburg’s history and culture. The core collection of Visual Culture stands for the artistic and/or documentary illustration of items from Limburg’s history and culture. In contrast to the often mass-produced items in the cultural history collection, aspects such as iconography, unicity and artistry play a key role in these objects. The core collection of Visual Culture is divided into partial collections based on the type of medium:

• Moving Image
• Photography
• Paintings
• Works on paper

Cultural History

This core collection consists of testimonies from the cultural history of Limburg. Large parts of the museum’s collection can be classified under the heading of cultural history. That is explained by the history of the museum. In the collection of the Limburgs Museum are many folklore objects stemming from the collection of the “Limburgs Volkskundig Centrum” and many objects linked to the history of the City of Venlo originating from the collection of the “Goltziusmuseum”. The core collection is thematically divided into partial collections:

• Trade
• Clothing and accessories
• Small household and kitchen utensils
• Agriculture, industry and crafts
• Furniture
• Old prints
• Politics, military history and public order
• Religion and popular belief
• Toys
• Applied art
• Club life