Aside from the Little Zittau Lenten Veil, the museum shows testimonies of the rich history of the city, folklore and art history of Upper Lusatia.
Around the year 1000, account is given, for the first time, of the custom to cover altars, relics, paintings, even whole chancels with veils. These textiles were called Lenten veils. The Great Zittau Lenten veil (1472) and the Small Zittau Lenten veil (1573) are two rare mementos from those times. The small Lenten veil is the only exemplar of the so-called Arma Christi Type in Germany. Worldwide, only six veils of this type have survived.
The small Lenten veil is displayed in the Kulturhistorisches Museum Franziskanerkloster (Cultural History Museum Franciscan Monastery).
