Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights
Photo: Own work — CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights in Vilnius, housed in the former KGB headquarters, presents exhibitions on Lithuania’s Soviet occupation, resistance, and the struggle for independence.
Planning your visit
The building was the KGB headquarters in Lithuania, and before that the Gestapo's, and before that the Soviet NKVD's — the same address serving successive occupying security services from 1940 to 1991. The museum occupies it, and the basement is why people come.
The prison cells are preserved: the isolation cells, the padded cell, the water cell where prisoners stood on a small platform above freezing water, and the execution chamber, where the floor has been left with a glass panel over excavated evidence. Some 1,000 people were killed in that room. Names of the dead are carved into the exterior stone walls of the building.
Upstairs the exhibitions cover the Soviet occupation, the mass deportations to Siberia of tens of thousands of Lithuanians, the forest brothers partisan resistance that continued into the 1950s, and the path to independence in 1991.
It sits on Gedimino Avenue in central Vilnius. Allow two hours. Bookable options include Soviet-themed tours combining the museum with an atomic bunker. Current availability is listed below.
Before you book
Where is Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights?
Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights is in Vilnius, Lithuania. The map on this page marks its exact location.
How long should I allow for Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights?
Allow two hours. That is the time the collection itself takes at an unhurried pace, before any queue.
Do I need to book Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights in advance?
Tickets can be bought on the door at quiet times, but booking ahead fixes the date and avoids the queue at busy ones. Live availability is shown on this page.
