Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è pasta... E pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Tripe is fried to a crisp.
L’Osteria della Trippa
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
25 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
26 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
27 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
28 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Lithuania Dvina Missile Silo

Dvina Missile Silo

Launch site for nuclear war against Western Europe.

Lithuania

Added By
ser flac
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The forests of Lithuania concealed the site for almost 20 years  
The forests of Lithuania concealed the site for almost 20 years  
A launch silo, stretching 100 feet into the ground  
Tunnels inside the Dvina Missile Complex  
  janchix / Atlas Obscura User
  Fragglehunter
  Fragglehunter
  Fragglehunter
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union could have hit the United Kingdom with nuclear warheads with only four minutes warning. There was little time for reaction or defense, placing the entire British island on the edge of destruction at any moment.

In the midst of the placid lakes and thick forests of Žemaitija National Park, is Dvina Rocket Base. If an attack on Western Europe had taken place, missiles would have launched from this Russian compound underground in Western Lithuania, known during the days of the USSR as the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR), one of 15 republics that made up the Soviet Union. It's an absolutely must see object in Lithuania.

In 1959, the Soviet Union began construction of the R-12 (Dvina) Theatre Ballistic Missile. Constructed as a medium-range warhead capable of delivering a massive nuclear bomb, the missile marked a sea change in the threat level of nuclear attack during the Cold War and was the first Soviet strategic missile using storable propellants and a completely autonomous inertial guidance system. The R-12 is best known as the missiles deployed during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 and the actual missiles sent to Cuba were moved from a base just a few miles from Dvina.

Besides being a threat to the United States, the R-12 was the largest nuclear threat to Western Europe during the Cold War, and that threat came directly from Dvina Rocket Base. With a series of complicated tunnels and four missile silos, the base was built in secret during the early 1960s. The Soviet government went to great length to conceal the construction from the United States and Europe, only allowing transportation of materials at night. To keep the project in a small circle and avoid too much attention, soldiers took turns digging the complex in five-man teams.

Construction on the 100-foot deep tunnels finally finished in 1962, and the massive compound stood in secret for almost 20 years. In 1978, United States reconnaissance teams finally discovered the compound, only to find that the missiles had been removed in 1974. Finding the compound abandoned, locals turned the once apocalyptic site into a museum and tours of the tunnels are now available.

Related Tags

Nuclear Silos Retro Tech Disaster Areas Subterranean Sites

Community Contributors

Added By

serflac

Edited By

mscicchitano, ahvenas, Fragglehunter, Technobee...

  • mscicchitano
  • ahvenas
  • Fragglehunter
  • Technobee
  • willstanton726
  • janchix
  • thethomasfoley

Published

September 19, 2011

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.way2lithuania.com/en/travel-lithuania/plokstine-nuclear-missile-launch-site
  • http://www.visitlithuania.net/index.php/component/content/article/159-soviet-heritage/840-ploktin-nuclear-missile-.html
  • http://www.urbanghostsmedia.com/2010/01/nuclear-days-abandoned-missile-silos-in-america-and-lithuania/
Dvina Missile Silo
Unnamed Road
90419
Lithuania
56.032203, 21.906433
Visit Website

Nearby Places

Orvidas Garden

Salantai, Lithuania

miles away

Memel-Nord Museum

Klaipėda, Lithuania

miles away

Juodasis Vaiduoklis (The Black Ghost)

Klaipėda, Lithuania

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Lithuania

Lithuania

Europe

Places 52

Nearby Places

Orvidas Garden

Salantai, Lithuania

miles away

Memel-Nord Museum

Klaipėda, Lithuania

miles away

Juodasis Vaiduoklis (The Black Ghost)

Klaipėda, Lithuania

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Lithuania

Lithuania

Europe

Places 52

Related Places

  • Wiltshire Secret Underground City

    Corsham, England

    Burlington Bunker

    Below a historic English market town lies a secret underground city complete with kitchens, laundries, storerooms, and an underground lake.

  • The dome is visible from the air—a perfect circle concealing something darker.

    Marshall Islands

    Cactus Dome

    An enormous concrete structure built over a nuclear crater.

  • Wunderland Kalkar

    Kalkar, Germany

    Wunderland Kalkar

    An amusement park on the grounds of an unused nuclear power plant, with a swing ride inside the cooling tower.

  • Green Valley, Arizona

    Titan Missile Museum

    America's only nuclear missile silo open to the public.

  • Bunker broadcast room

    Airdrie, Scotland

    Scotland's Secret Bunker

    A nuclear bunker built to shelter the politicians and important people of Scotland in case of nuclear attack.

  • One of the large factory floors.

    Prypiat, Ukraine

    Jupiter Radiotechnology Factory

    A huge Soviet-era robotics factory in the outskirts of Prypiat, now long-abandoned.

  • 816 Underground Nuclear Plant.

    Fuling, China

    816 Underground Nuclear Plant

    This top secret Chinese military megaproject is the world’s largest human-made tunnel structure.

  • The angel backdropped by a sea of stars.

    Chornobyl, Ukraine

    'Monument of the Third Angel'

    The biblical sculpture honors those who lost their lives, homes and communities to the Chernobyl disaster.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.