II WW2, III National Partizans, IV Soviet Occupation, Restored Independence

Sovietinės Lietuvos paveikslas

Cold War Exposition

The exposition is arranged in the former ballistic missile launch complex of the Soviet Union, which is the only well-equipped facility of its kind in Europe. The Plokštines missile base was completed in 1962. on December 31. It was placed in the largest forest massif, east of Lake Plateļi. There were 4 SS-4 "Sandal" medium-range ballistic missiles equipped with 2-megaton thermonuclear warheads, aimed at Western European countries. 1978 after the base was discovered by US intelligence, it was closed with the removal of armaments. 2012 after reconstruction, an exhibition of relevant content was opened here.

 
Samogitian Museum "Alka"

The museum is located in the city of Telšiai, on the north-western coast of Lake Mastis.

in 2024 In September, after the reconstruction, the newly opened Žemaitia Museum "Alka" presents the history and culture of the Žemaitija region - archaeological finds, rare and unexpected historical artifacts, ethnographic treasure, the legacy of interwar and emigrant artists, the exclusive heritage of Žemaitija estates: historical furniture, masterpieces of art.

Three exhibition spaces are particularly interesting from the perspective of military heritage:

1. The audio-visual installation "Epochų lůmis" which is complemented by a small exposition of artifacts from the Second World War. The exclusive exposition, divided into two parts, displays authentic items used by soldiers during the Nazi German and Soviet occupations - helmets, ammunition boxes, bayonets, and relevant video projections.

2. "Loss stories" in which the painful part of the nation's history is told through the stories and destinies of different individuals and families, determined by the brutal Soviet occupation regime's terror against the local population.

3. "Guerrilla War in Žemaitija" exposition is arranged in a stylized reproduction of the interior of a post-war partisan hideout. In the exhibition, you can familiarize yourself with the structure of the Lithuanian partisans, see authentic artifacts found at the site of the Battle of God's Seat Forest near Telšiai, as well as examples of weapons typical of that period, an excerpt from a documentary film dedicated to this battle, and various photos of partisans who operated in this region are shown.

 
Rainiai Chapel of Suffering

Rainiai Passion Chapel is located in the village of Rainiai, 5 km from Telšiai, next to road 160 Telšiai-Varniai - Laukuva.

in 1941 June 25-26 One of the worst massacres in the history of the Soviet occupation of Lithuania took place in Rainiai forest. At night, 75 political prisoners of Telšiai prison were brutally tortured by the Red Army and the repressive institutions of the USSR. The victims buried in a common grave were found a few days later by a passer-by.

To honor the victims of the massacres, according to the idea of the architect Jonas Viraks in 1943. the construction of the Chapel began. The return of Soviet power in 1944 demolished it. Later in 1990, after the regaining of Lithuania's independence, the architect A. Žebrauskas, according to the same author's drawings, began to build another chapel. The chapel was consecrated in 1991. June 23 commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Rainai massacre.

The Rainiai Suffering Chapel is dedicated not only to the memory of the Rainiai martyrs, but also perpetuates the memory of all victims of Soviet terror. A stone cross carved by the sculptor R. Midvikis was erected in the forest near the chapel, where political prisoners were tortured. 3 more wooden crosses painted in the colors of the national flag stand on the way. They were built by the local people shortly after the massacre, but the thugs drowned them in the Viešvėnai pond. Only recently, after the pond was drained, the crosses were found, painted and restored.

 
The Hill of Rebels

Sukilėių kalnelis is a sand hill in the western part of the city of Šiauliai, whose history was affected by both world wars.
The place became infamous in the 19th century. p. II: 1863-1864 were buried in the mound. participants of the uprising against the oppression of the Tsarist Russian Empire, sentenced to death. Horrible legends began to spread about the place, it was abandoned and rarely visited, eventually being called Rebel Hill. During World War I, soldiers of the German Empire were buried there.
in 1926 maintenance of the hill has begun. City engineer Karolis Reison volunteered to prepare a project for a monument-obelisk dedicated to the rebels. in 1928 The 10th anniversary of Lithuania's independence was celebrated on the rebels' hill, the Independence Garden was opened, but the construction of the monument itself was completed only in 1935. The erected monument - a 14 m high pink granite obelisk - was unveiled and consecrated, and the remains of the rebels found here were reburied.
During World War II, people were buried in the hill between 1941 and 1944. dead soldiers of the German Reich.
During the Soviet occupation, the tombstones were dismantled, and in 1955-1957 The monument-obelisk of the rebel hill has been reconstructed - all national and religious symbols have been removed. In 1988, to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the uprising, the authentic image of the monument was restored.

 
Kaunas Ninth Fort Museum

Until 1890 The Russian Empire had built a system of fortifications around the perimeter of the city of Kaunas. It included 8 forts and 9 artillery batteries. The construction of IX Fort started in 1902, but was completed shortly before the First World War. During the time of the Lithuanian state, 1924 the fort became a branch of Kaunas prison. During the USSR, the NKVD prison was located here, as a transfer point to the GULAG camps. During the German occupation - the Holocaust, it was a place of execution. Today, a history museum has been established here.

 
Memorial of January 13th of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania

In the city of Vilnius, near the Second Chamber of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania

in 1991 In January, due to the efforts of Lithuanian people who sought freedom and defended it, the Lithuanian Parliament House was surrounded by barricades. The barricades were an attempt to protect themselves from the military aggression of the Soviet Union at that time - Soviet attempts to carry out a coup d'état in Lithuania and restore Soviet power. It surrounded the parliament until 1992. the end in 1993 near the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, a kind of memorial was created from some barricades and other relics - a monument dedicated to the sacrifice of the people of Lithuania.

January 13 - the most tragic day of 1991. the event of January, when the Soviet army and special units occupied the Lithuanian Radio and Television building and the Television Tower, 14 defenders of freedom were killed and about 600 people were injured - the Memorial Day of the Defenders of Freedom was declared. As the tenth anniversary of the Freedom Defenders Day approaches, it was decided to protect the aforementioned composition by installing the January 13 memorial. The memorial was unveiled in 2008.

The memorial preserves the authentic 1991 a fragment of the parliament barricades, a chapel with St. with the image of the Virgin Mary, exhibited during the 1991 objects brought by people after the events of January, the events of the defense of Lithuania's independence are introduced. It is said that this is perhaps the only monument of this type in the world, which gives meaning to the defense of the independence of the parliament and the state.