Aerial view of the Cold War museum made in Plosktines abandoned missile base near Plateliai lake in Lithuania.

© Romas Cereska/Shutterstock

Cold War Museum

Top choice in Lithuania

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This museum on the site of a former Soviet nuclear missile base is situated deep in the heart of the Žemaitija National Park. The highlight is the chance to poke around inside one of the former underground bunkers, complete with multimedia displays, ominous music and displays of weaponry and mannequins in military attire.

It's about 8km from Plateliai: follow the main road to Plokštinė, then 5km along a sign-posted gravel road through the pines.

Built in the 1960s in secret from the Lithuanian people, the base had enough firepower to flatten most of Europe, and may have played a role in the Cuban missile crisis. There’s a small exhibition on the history of the Cold War in the Baltic countries, and on the construction and role of the base, as well as some Soviet detritus in the gift shop.

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