Sovietinės Lietuvos paveikslas

In the central part of Klaipėda city.

Klaipėda is a region with a unique destiny. When the Soviets occupied Lithuania in 1940, the city and region of Klaipėda already belonged to the German Reich. In January 1945, the Red Army occupied Klaipėda. According to the registration data of the military commandant's office, at that time there were 28 civilians left in the city. Thus began a new Soviet phase in Klaipėda. One repressive regime was replaced by another.

The goal of the creators of the exhibition "In the Footsteps of the Soviet Era" is to encourage reflection on the Soviet era and the changes that began in the late 1980s, to discuss the complex space of the Soviet era. The story is about the new residents, the construction of "socialist" Klaipėda, the aspirations of Soviet ideology and propaganda, and resistance to the suppression of national, civic, and religious consciousness. Separate stories and themes are developed: an exhibition of the interior of a Soviet-era intelligentsia's living room illustrates the everyday life of people of that time; an improvised "red corner" and Soviet-era slogans tell about the methods and banality of Soviet propaganda; a computer terminal presents the construction of the Klaipėda Mary Queen of Peace Church and its fate in 1957–1963, etc.

In the old town of Klaipėda.

After World War I, the Klaipėda Region (Memel Gebiet or Territoire de Memel) was separated from Germany according to the Versailles Peace Treaty, and in January 1920, the power in the region was taken over from the German representative by the French-appointed administrator, Brigadier General Dominique Odry, who settled in building No. 3 on Perkasų g. (present-day Sukilėlių g.). Thus, in 1920–1923, the prefecture became the headquarters of the French High Commissariat and the most important government institution in the Klaipėda Region. The XXI Infantry Rifle Battalion of the French Army was stationed in the city.

On January 10–15, 1923, a well-organized and successfully implemented military operation organized by the Lithuanian government, the army and the Riflemen's Union took place, for a long time called the "Klaipėda Region Uprising", after which the Klaipėda Region was annexed to Lithuania. During the military operation, the 2nd (Pagėgiai) combat group of the Special Purpose Unit, led by Mykolas Kalmantas-Bajoras, broke through to the prefecture building and occupied it. The prefect or chief commissioner Gabriel Petisne was forced to raise the white flag and surrender.

In cultural memory, the prefecture is associated with the victory of the "rebels", the final highlight of the annexation of Klaipėda, therefore, to commemorate the annexation of Klaipėda to Lithuania, theatrical reenactments of the storming of the prefecture are prepared, performed by war reenactors.

Klaipėda city's Royal Dane embankment, next to the Castle Bridge.

The ship belonging to the "Lindau" mine trawler class was built in 1956-1958. in West Germany. The purpose of these ships is to detect and destroy sea mines. Accordingly, the ship's hull was made of Brazilian oak, the decks were made of teak, and the devices were made of non-magnetic metal.

1958-1999 the ship belonged to the German Navy and was christened M1071 Koblenz. 1978-1979 from a minesweeper it was converted into a minesweeper (minehunter).

in 1999 the ship was handed over to the Naval Forces of the Lithuanian Army. The ships of these forces are traditionally named after the historical regions of Lithuania, so the new ship was christened with that name - M52 "Sūduvis". The ship served Lithuania for 22 years, participated in international and national exercises and operations.

in 2021 the ship completed its service in the Lithuanian Naval Forces and was handed over to the Lithuanian Maritime Museum. M52 "Sūduvis" was then adapted for museum and educational activities when it was opened to the public. A ship on display with authentic working equipment.

M52 "Sūduvio" displacement 463 t, engine power 4000 HP, speed 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h), crew of 42 people. Armament and equipment of the ship: 40 mm caliber cannon, acoustic system, minesweeper robot.

In Klaipėda city between K. Donelaičio, Liepų, Trilapio and S. Daukantas streets.

The Sculpture Park in Klaipėda is a multi-layered witness to the city's and the world's history. A cemetery, a park, a memorial, an art space - all this and more fits into this one space.

In 1944–1945, the Soviet occupiers reestablished themselves in Lithuania, and the city of Klaipėda was left without its old inhabitants. The once new, but now old city cemetery was abandoned, devastated and destroyed. Finally, it was abolished, and in 1977. the Sculpture Park was established in its place. Works of art began to be built. It is said that even during the years of Soviet censorship, “art strategies far removed from the canons of socialist realism were formed and implemented here: abstraction, surrealism, minimalism, localized art”.

Today, this park is called the Open-Air Gallery of Lithuanian Mature Modernist Sculpture. It exhibits 116 works created during the Soviet era (1977–1989). However, along with works of art and relics of old cemeteries, other layers and monuments also coexist here:

• A fortification device reminiscent of the Napoleonic Wars – a defensive chancel (1812);
• memorial to the 1923 Klaipėda Uprising (1925);
• memorial to the Soviet Union soldiers of World War II (1949–1980; part of the memorial was dismantled in 2022 after the start of the Russian war against Ukraine);
• a memorial stone for the old residents of the Klaipėda region – the Memelenders (1992).

Memorials also honor the French prisoners of war who died in the Franco-Prussian War, the soldiers of the German Empire in World War I, the soldiers of Independent Lithuania, and the Belgian, Polish, and French prisoners of war in World War II.

Since 2005, the Sculpture Park exposition has been maintained by the Museum of the History of Lithuania Minor.

In the central part of Klaipėda city.

After the Soviets occupied Klaipėda, repressive structures (NKVD, MGB, KGB) settled in the city buildings at S. Nėries St. 2 and 4. People were imprisoned, interrogated and tortured here. In 1945–1953, 8,268 people were imprisoned in the cells in the basements of the house at S. Nėries St. 4 (the so-called internal prison). The KGB used these buildings until the mid-1980s, when they moved to other premises.

In 1992, the Klaipėda Territorial Customs Office was located in the building at S. Nėries g. 4, and in 2014, an exhibition of resistance and exile was opened in its basement. In the museum, visitors can see two surviving authentic cells and a restored interrogator's office. The exhibition introduces the Soviet repressive structures, the partisan war in Western Lithuania, the stories of exile and political prisoners of the Klaipėda region. The unique (compared to other regions of Lithuania) history of the Klaipėda region determined that the history of resistance to the Soviets here also had its own nuances. The improvised interrogator's office aims to convey to visitors the feeling of the oppressive and frightening environment that a person who fell into the hands of repressive structures experienced.