KGB Atomic Bunker Museum — Attraction in Kaunas

This was a highlight of our short stay in Kaunas. The museum has a nondescript entrance, but once you go through to the back courtyard and enter the building, there are multiple floors filled with an incredible number of items relating to both KGB, history and methods or equipment, but also some aspects of life in Lithuania over the past century. This is like no museum you’ve ever seen, as everything is piled on top of other items, and many of them you can pick up and touch. The museum guide Monica was extremely knowledgeable and personable, and had a fun way of spicing up her commentary with interactive questions and jokes. But it’s just an amazing way to learn about how atomic bomb shelters were built and regulated during the Cold War. 200 installations just like this one were built in Poland, and certainly a large number in Lithuania and other countries as well. They were never utilized other than for drills (this one apparently also served as a dance hall) since there were no nuclear bombs dropped. But, the facility is still fascinating to see, with its heavy, double doors, air filtration systems, areas for food storage, sleeping, etc. The owner of the museum has simply collected a massive amount of memorabilia, including hundreds of different types of gas masks, radio equipment, Geiger counters, as well as secret briefcases or suit buttons with cameras, lipstick cases that shoot bullets, etc. It’s a one and a half hour tour that definitely will teach you about one aspect of Soviet society that most people know nothing about. Definitely worth the time, but wear some comfortable shoes, as you will be on your feet for an...

Great tour!

I went to a tour over there (Note; despite its name it's not a standard museum with fixed opening times, it's a tour through plenty of items/memorabilia from soviet times that has to be arranged beforehand by email) which I arranged with Monika through several emails. I was told it would be 16 euros per person and that's the price I was charged, so they are quite trustworthy. This exhibition is located in the outskirts of Kaunas, in the courtyard of a building where there are some offices and surrounded bu a warehouse and a large supermarket.

Our tour, which took place at 13 30 on the 19th of september, friday, was great! It was conducted by a lovely not-quite-tall lady who was quite knowledgeable about life in Lithuania during soviet times, she explained and told us plenty of things about what normal life was like in Lithuania during soviet times. She was that funny, knowledgeable and explained things in such an interesting way that we felt compelled to tip her at the end of our tour.

If you are into history this tour is a MUST! We stayed in Vilnius, we went on a day trip to Kaunas and this was the best museum we visited on our time there (and believe me, we went to a few museums over there). Definitely, this tour is not to be missed by anyone who's...

Disclaimer: It’s a private museum without regular opening hours, so you have to check directly with them when you can come for a visit!

I got an immediate response to my email and could join a guided tour just the day after. Our guide Giedrius was very knowledgeable and also shared his own experiences in growing up in Lithuania while still under Soviet occupation. We got asked many questions testing our own knowledge and definitely learned a lot of new stuff!

What I loved was that we were allowed to test out a lot of gadgets, pose with pistols or official’s hats, learned how to correctly put on gas masks or how to use an alarm siren generator ourselves. Some of the spying gear was also demonstrated and we had to guess how they basically spied on us with a suit or handbag! Everything could be touched and tried out, it’s been really amazing for immersing oneself in the history - in my opinion that’s totally worth the 15€ /person for a private tour for just three people!

There were also many opportunities for taking pictures and asking any kind of question. Giedrius was even so kind as giving me a lift from the museum to the bus station because I had to catch my bus directly after...