The National Museum of Zrenjanin belongs to the category of museum institutions of complex type and native character. With its exploratory work The Museum covers the area of Central Banat with fifty-two populated towns and villages in the Municipalities of Zrenjanin, Sečanj, Žitište, Nova Crnja and Novi Bečej. With the organization of this kind, the rich cultural heritage of this area from the domain of nature, archaeology, ethnology, art and history came into the range of systematical protection and expert manipulation of a specialized institution, with experts of all the necessary profiles. There are around 30,000 museum pieces within the collections of The Museum’s five departments. Only the few most important collections are going to be mentioned here: The Collection of Cold Steel and Fire-Arms, The Collection of Traditional Serbian Caps called “zlatare”, The Art Collection with an important fund of pictures from the 18th and the 19th century, The Collection of the Prehistoric and Middle-Ages Jewellery, The Collection of Birds. Apart from the expert departments, The Museum also has a Workshop for Conservation, a Photo Laboratory, a Carpenter’s Workshop and a Pedagogical Service. There is also an expert Library with over five thousand book titles. The presentation of The Museum’s collections is within the permanent display and thematic exhibitions.
The National Museum of Zrenjanin was established in 1906 as The Museum of Torontal District, according to the decision of The Municipal Board and on the initiative of The Cultural Association of Torontal District. However, on the basis of all the available sources, The Museum did not start its activities until 1911. This delay was caused by some financial reasons as well as by the lack of an adequate building. The Museum got its first rooms in The District Hall and was functioning in this building under the name “The Museum of Torontal District” until 1918 when it temporarily stopped its activities. After the First World War, The Museum was first moved into the complex of The Piaristic Monastery and then to the first floor of “The Casino”, but because of the bad accommodation conditions, it was practically closed for public. On the verge of the Second World War, The Museum had the name “The Museum of the Danube Regional Unit” and the attempt of The Historical Society of Novi Sad, to put it in order and open it for visits, was stopped by the war. During the occupation, from 1941 to 1944, The Museum was open for public for a short period of time as “The Museum of Banat District”. After the liberation, The Museum moved to different locations for several times and only the third location was accepted as the permanent solution: that was the building of the former Financial Palace, built in 1893, according to the project of the architect Ištvan Kiš.