Museum of Genocide Victims

One of the best museums of its kind in the world, the Museum of Genocide Victims, or KGB Museum as it's commonly called, was founded in 1992 in the very building where repressive Soviet institutions operated from 1940 to 1991. Really two museums in one, the basement reveals the true horror of the actual KGB prison where fifty years of Lithuanian political detainees were held, tortured and executed. It includes small isolation rooms, padded cells, two "water torture" rooms, and a glass-floored execution room where victim remains and artefacts have been excavated and left intact. Upstairs, detailed exhibitions explain the history and condition of the Nazi and Soviet occupations of Lithuania, guerrilla war and partisan activity, the process of sovietisation, deportations, life in the gulags and KGB tactics. The information is dense, but well-presented and does not assume the visitor's foreknowledge of Lithuanian history, making it incredibly accessible and effective. An utterly depressing, but powerful and eye-opening visit should be made. Closed Mondays.

I know this is an oudated review, but I saw this museum back in April 1993 when it was very new. I had a penpal from Kaunas who took me there and throughout the city where I got a great education in post-Soviet bloc life. All these years later as I am putting together a scrapbook of my photos, I still remember this museum vividly. And I remember my penpal choking up as she told her own stories. I wish we could package this museum up and share it with others who won't get to Vilnius!

The most important thing we did in Vilnius was visit this museum. Very powerful.

Horrifying. Humbling. Absolutely the most important and compelling thing we saw in Vilnius.