Exposition “Sovietmečio pėdsakais” (“In the Footsteps of the Soviet Era”) at the History Museum of Lithuania Minor
Museum

The exposition is located in the central part of Klaipėda. When the Soviets occupied Lithuania in 1940, Klaipėda and the region of Klaipėda were already part of the German Reich. In January 1945, Klaipėda was captured by the Red Army. According to the registration data of the war commandant, only 28 civilians were left in the town at the time. The new Soviet period in Klaipėda began. One repressive regime was replaced with another.
The exposition “Sovietmečio pėdsakais” (“In the Footsteps of the Soviet Era”) aims to reflect the Soviet era and the changes that began in the late 1990s and to help understand the complex Soviet atmosphere. The exposition tells the story of the new inhabitants, the construction of the “socialist” Klaipėda, the Soviet ideology and propaganda efforts, the desire to destroy everything that was national, folk and civic, as well as religious consciousness. Different stories and themes are revealed: the interior of a Soviet-era living room of an intelligent person illustrates the everyday life of people of that time; an improvised “red corner” and the Soviet slogans reflect the methods and banality of Soviet propaganda; a computer terminal demonstrates the construction of Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace Church in Klaipėda and its fate in 1957–1963, etc.