Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights (KGB Museum)

The Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights, popularly called the KGB Museum, occupies a neoclassical building at Aukų g. 2A on Gediminas Avenue in Vilnius, Lithuania. The building served as the Gestapo headquarters during the Nazi occupation and then as the regional headquarters of the Soviet KGB, with a prison in the basement. Today it documents Lithuania's occupation by the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany between 1940 and 1991 and the armed and non-violent resistance that followed. Upstairs galleries present maps, photographs, personal belongings, uniforms, propaganda and documents on deportations to Siberia, partisan warfare and life under surveillance. The most powerful part of the visit lies in the basement, where visitors walk through original cells, interrogation rooms, a padded isolation cell, a water cell and the execution chamber. The audio guide, available in English, adds testimony and context and is strongly recommended. A visit usually takes between 90 minutes and two hours, and the emotional content means some visitors need time afterwards. The building is not suited to young children, and teenagers should be prepared for difficult themes. Photography is generally allowed in many areas but restricted in some spaces, so signs should be followed. The museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and on national holidays, and weekday mornings are the quietest time. Weekends see larger crowds and school groups. The site stands a short walk from Lukiskes Square, where a former KGB prison memorial and the nearby Lukiskes Prison sites are located. Pairing the museum with a walk along Gediminas Avenue gives context to the neighbourhood's history. Admission is modest, and the audio guide adds a small additional cost.