The Cold War exposition

Whilst travelling through Plungė district in Žemaitija (Samogitia) National Park, near Lake Plateliai you’ll find the only Cold War exposition in Europe. It’s located at the former Soviet ballistic missile silo launch complex at the Plokštinė missile base.

The missile base was built in a sparsely populated, wooded area from which all residents were moved out and was completed on December 31, 1962. Work on the base lasted for two years and was carried out by about 10,000 soldiers, most of them from Estonia.

The 100-tonne silo shields could withstand a nuclear bomb explosion. One could spend up to three days in the hideouts. Four medium-range SS-4 ballistic missiles armed with two-megaton thermonuclear warheads were deployed here and aimed at the Western Europe. However, not a single missile was ever fired due to the secrecy of the project and the safety of the people.

In 1978, the base was detected by the US intelligence services, and so the Soviet authorities decided to close it and move all the weapons somewhere else. After the restoration of independence, the base fell into disrepair and was destroyed by vandals and scavengers hunting for metal. After the reconstruction of the underground structure in 2012, a museum exhibition dedicated to the 50-year Cold War period in Lithuania opened its doors.

On entering the museum territory, pay attention to the restored fragment of multi-stage electronic security system. You can see the Cold War documentary images at the Info Centre which is near the entrance to the territory.

At the exposition it’s possible to watch unique video, audio and graphic material presenting the organisation of nuclear weapons, their principles of operation and their dangers. A special model and video installation imitates a nuclear explosion and demonstrates its possible consequences. However, the exhibition also presents the disarmament process. At the propaganda section, you’ll find out more about the influence of the Cold War in Europe, one of the most famous and dangerous military conflicts in history. Also on display is authentic equipment from the period, weapons and their mock-ups.