Lithuanian underground press survives as museum
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Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas signed a usage agreement that will keep an underground press operating in the Kaunas region open to the public.
The press, known as “ab”, will continue functioning as an educational space for students and soldiers. Lithuanian Armed Forces personnel will use the site for resistance training, and members of the Riflemen's Union will continue their educational programs there.
Kaunas also stated the location will serve as a demonstration of Lithuanian resistance to foreign guests during Lithuania’s presidency of the Council of the European Union. He emphasized the press is the only authentic, surviving example of its kind in Lithuania and has been preserved as a museum. The underground press will remain part of the Vytautas the Great War Museum, with ongoing maintenance and guided tours for visitors.
Founded in 1980 by Vytautas Andziulis and Juozas Bacevičius, the press operated secretly until Lithuania regained independence, successfully avoiding detection by Soviet security forces. Over ten years, the press published 23 titles with a total print run of 138,000 copies, including patriotic and religious content banned under Soviet censorship. It became a branch of the museum in 1997 and joined an international list of historically valuable Cold War sites in 2008.
