The museum was opened in 1996 in the house of Marija and Jurgis Šlapeliai, active members of the Lithuanian National Revival, who dedicated their lives to the preservation and protection of their mother tongue and Lithuanian independence. This house is an architectural monument from the 17th century, commemorating the cultural and social activities of the intelligentsia of that time.

The museum exhibits about everyday life and work of Marija and Jurgis Šlapeliai present Vilnius area from the second half of the nineteenth century to 1940. The exhibitions show the rebirth of book publishing following the lifting of the press ban, the rise of Lithuanian printing houses and bookshops (Šlapeliai were one of the first in Lithuania to open a Lithuanian bookshop, which survived all five occupations and became a school not only of Lithuanian but also of democratic values) and the active work of publishers. They also illustrate the formation of societies, the development of education, the expansion of the press, and other significant cultural events that stimulated and accelerated the political events that ultimately led to Lithuanian independence. Each object in the Šlapeliai House reveals a new, albeit small but always unique aspect of the life and work of this important Lithuanian family.