Century of Lithuania – in the exhibits of The Museum of Genocide Victims

The Museum of Genocide Victims was founded in 1992 in the former building of the Lithuanian SSR State Security (NKVD-MGB- KGB), from where soviet security authorities lead the imprisonment and deportation of Lithuanian people, and implemented the public control in later years. The museum is interesting not only by the unique history of the building, but also by the collections kept here, that contain over 130 thousand exhibits.

The largest part of the exhibits, that form the basis of museum collections, was found in 1991 in the premises of the former KGB building, when the soviet security agency left. The museum collections are constantly supplemented with the valuable exhibits that are donated and transferred by former partisans and their supporters, political prisoners and deportees, public organizations. The collections contain exhibits documenting the imprisonment of Lithuanian people in detention camps and exile, the armed resistance of Lithuanian partisans from 1944 to 1953, the unarmed anti-soviet resistance that began in the 6 decade as
well as the period of National Revival.

Various items made by the political prisoners (small boxes, prayer books, crosses, handicrafts, greetings cards, spoons) with the national symbols depicted in them (the tricolor flag of the independent Lithuanian state, the castle of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas, the coat of arms of the state - Vytis and others)
expressed the pride in the history of their nation and the inexhaustible desire of people to survive and the hope of returning to their homeland.

After the end of the Second World War, Lithuanian partisans were the first to rise to battle against the soviet occupants in order to restore Lithuania's independence. National attributes worn by the partisans- distinctive tabs with the symbol of Vilnius, the capital of independent Lithuania, the Iron Wolf (Geležinis vilkas), the Columns of Gediminas, and the double cross, symbolized the continuity of the independent state, and the rejection of the world-view imposed by the occupants. The underground press distributed by the partisans was a breath of Truth and Freedom for the people of Lithuania surrounded by the flow of false soviet propaganda.

After the destruction by the soviet repressive structures of the armed Lithuanian partisan resistance, patriotic Lithuanians found another, peaceful forms of resistance against the occupants - they published and distributed the underground anti-soviet press (“Chronicle of the Catholic Church of Lithuania”, “Perspectives”, “Vytis”, etc.) demanded the freedom of religion, speech, press, resisted against the forced recruiting to the soviet army, against Russification, demanded the protection of the Lithuanian language and culture, etc.

The bulk of the collections reflecting the activities of the soviet repressive structures consists of the documentary material (photo albums, tracking tools, confiscated prohibited books, printing machines and other equipment), which was found in 1992 at the premises of the KGB building - in the former museum
“Chekist Glory”, the Operational technical department (OTO), the special library, the photo lab and the cabinets of KGB staff.

The exhibits kept in the collections of the Museum of Genocide Victims are the material legacy to Lithuania from the generation of pre-war and post-war Lithuanian people that were proud and never gave up.

The exhibition was prepared in the framework of the project „Centennial of Lithuania in the exhibits of Lithuanian museums”, which is supported by the Lithuanian Council for Culture and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania. The project is dedicated to commemorate and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Restoration of the Lithuanian state.