Plokštinė Soviet Nuclear Missile Base

Deep in the forests of Žemaitija National Park, behind a chain-link fence and guarded by eerie silence, lies one of the Cold War's most chilling relics. The Plokštinė missile base was a top-secret Soviet installation that housed four R-12 nuclear missiles aimed at Western European targets during the early 1960s. Today, the base has been partially restored as a museum. Visitors can descend into the underground launch silos, walk through the control rooms, and see the massive blast doors that were designed to withstand a nuclear attack. The claustrophobic tunnels and reinforced concrete chambers bring the terror of the nuclear age viscerally to life. The base operated from 1962 to 1978 and was so secret that even local residents didn't know what was hidden in the forest nearby. After the missiles were removed, the base was used for storage before being abandoned. Its transformation into a museum is both a historical service and a powerful statement about the dangers of nuclear weapons.