Abandoned secret atom bases in the forests of Lithuania
Abandoned secret atom bases in the forests of Lithuania
In the middle of a sea of birch and Eastern Seepinia, which gently weighs in the wind, the street leads deeper into the forest. Here, in the peaceful depths of the Žemaitija National Parks in the western Lithuens, the idyllic backdrop of lakes, wetlands, old villages and forests once waited for the Soviet rocket operator Command for the destruction of Western Europe.
The Plokštinė rocket base
Today is the formerly secret area, known as Plokštinė rocket base houses the cold war museum . In 2024, 35,000 people came from all over the world to explore this scary, underground world, which includes underground rooms, corridors and a rocket silo for 30 meters underground.
The history of the base
The entrance to the system is lined with several thorn fence lines. After a short march, four white domes are in sight that are contrasting to the green of the forest - the bunkers that once housed weapons of mass destruction. These structures act like parasitic mushrooms that do not belong in their surroundings.
The history of the base reflects the logic of the Cold War and the Nuclear arms. Westlitauen-at that time part of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic-was an ideal location for the storage of explosive heads that aimed at NATO countries. Lithuania became a heavily militarized zone along the Baltic Sea with rocket bases, military towns and garrisons, as well as the neighboring countries Latvia and Estonia.
confidentiality and security
The rocket base Plokštinė was completed in 1962 after two years of construction, with more than 10,000 workers from the entire Soviet Union involved. This immense construction activity was not hidden from the local population. "People didn't know what weapons were stored there, but we knew this place," says Aušra Brazdeiikytė, a leader in the Cold War Museum.
Brazdeiikytė was born in a village near the grassroots and spent her whole life in the region. Soldiers became part of local life, and it was common to hear noise from heavy equipment that transported military equipment.
"We worked with soldiers from various Soviet republics on colchoses, but we never talked about military issues," she recalls. False questions could end tragically in the Soviet system. Access to the complex was strongly secured, with an electrical fence that stretched over two miles around the base, and the dense forest made it difficult to reach.
an impressive experience
The whole secret paid off. US intelligence services only discovered the base in 1978 by satellite education. At this point in time, the Soviets had decommissioned the system between the USSR and the US
The entrance to the system - as ever - is carried out by a hole in the ground. "Please wipe your feet off," stands over the hermetically closed door on a sign in Russian. Cleanliness is important in the workplace, especially if you work with Mitatom weapons in a secret underground system.
The Plokštinė rocket base was an elaborated military project, an exemplary establishment of its kind in the Soviet Union. The focus is on an underground command center with a network of gears and four 30 meters deep shafts for the R-12 DVINA floor-floor rockets. There was even an underground power plant to generate energy in an emergency.
a place of memories
After the independence of Lithuania from the Soviet Union in 1990 and the subsequent case of the Iron Curtain, the base was completely left and looted for her metal. Thanks to EU funding, the local authorities were able to create an excellent museum that was opened in 2012 and the access to the command center Power plant and a silos offer.
A tour of the dark underground labyrinth conveys an uncanny feeling - not least because it is filled with Soviet aircraft: statues from Lenin and Stalin, military awards and ceramics as well as flags with hammer and sickle. Visitors cross -designed interactive halls that are devoted to the different phases of the Cold War, and learn more about the propaganda produced in the second half of the turbulent 20th century.
The ghost town next door
Just a few steps from the four silos are the ghost town, which does not have a name. Originally, she housed around 300 soldiers and officers who worked on the rocket base. After the Plokštinė base was closed, some administrative buildings in the city were converted bizarre to a summer camp for children, which was operated from 1979 to 1990 under the name Žuvėdra (Seemöwe). A bus stop directly behind the entrance gate is painted with a colorful wall painting of a gnome on a mushroom that holds a flower.
a region full of contrasts
Today there is not much left of the military city. The most impressive sight are a number of former warehouse hangars. Excessed with mud and grass, they look like ancient pyramids that have been lost in the forest. The combination of the dark, abandoned rocket base and the beautiful nature around it could be an allegory for modern lithuania.
The country has successfully overcome the decades of Soviet crew and turned its scars from the Cold War into educational moments. Apart from the base, the Žemaitija National Park is one of the most beautiful places in Lithuania, full of attractions. A visit to the park leads you to the heart of Samogitia - a region with rich local culture. Pagan and Christian traditions coexist here; It is believed that this country was the last part of Europe that was converted to Christianity in the 15th century.
Žemaičių Blynai, or Samogitic pancakes, are the superstar dishes of the region-hearty potato pancakes with meat filling. Cepelinai, filled potato dumplings with curd cheese or minced meat, are another Lithuanian soul food. And nobody leaves the region, without Šaltibarščiai, a cold, pink beetroot soup.
The city of Plateliai, located 15 minutes north of the nuclear location, houses the church of the Apostle Peter and Paul, an impressive wooden building from the 18th century. Ein restauriertes Herrenhaus in der Stadt ist jetzt das Zuhause eines Mardi Gras Museums with characteristic wooden masks.
The Plateliai lake itself is a paradise for nature lovers, with cycling and hiking trails, campsites on the water and picturesque restaurants along the shore. The biggest secret of Žemaitija was once the Plokštinė nuclear -nose base. Today the region is a hidden jewel for slow trips in Europe.
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