Lithuania - Soviet Missile Base

The hostel in Klaipeda offered the chance to visit an old Soviet missile base and this was something I really didn't want to pass up. The manager of the hostel drove me, Andy and Melanie on the one hour trip to the remote location.

Entering the bunker

The missile base was the first built by the Soviets in occupied europe. It held 4 massive nuclear missiles, each in its own underground silo.

Keep out

This is not an official tourist attraction, it really is just an abandoned military base. The most dangerous parts have been sealed off and lighting has been installed, but the national park it is located in does not pay any money to maintain it and it is therefore degrading rapidly.

Deep in the base

There are several underground floors open to viewing and one of the silo chambers. Anything that wasn't nailed down has been taken over the years, but there's still a lot of cool stuff.

Armoured doors seal every room

Most of the original warning signs, painted on the walls in Russian, are still visible. They say such encouraging things like "If you smell gas, put on your gas mask immediately".

It's easy to get lost inside

There are some interesting rooms, such as the barracks and communication center, as well as the generator room (still with original generator) to explore. The atmosphere is just like being in a hollywood movie.

Inside the silo chamber. It's a lot taller than it looks!

The star attraction has to be the missile chamber itself. Over 30m tall, this held a rocket with a lifespan of about 15 years (they were replaced only once in the base's lifespan). Thankfully they were never used for their intended purpose. Eventually the rockets were removed and sent to Cuba just before the start of the missile crisis.

Standing on top of the silo

One day the Russians simply packed up and left. Apparently this was because they knew the Americans had discovered the base's location, but nobody knows as all the information is still classified. After several years, the locals returned to the base and were startled to discover its true purpose. They had no idea!