Easy hikes and walks in Žemaitijos Nacionalinis Parkas

The Cold War, a long time ago, and in my opinion, it shouldn't be forgotten. Commissioned in 1962, its nuclear missiles were aimed at Great Britain, West Germany, and even Spain. The tour is worth seeing and provides considerable food for thought about what's happening around us right now. Hopefully, it serves as a memorial to history.

Good food, fair prices, great outside seating.

Has several BBQ spots, picknick tables and ToiToi toilets, and no signs that day visitors have to pay unlike the neighboring camping.

This is the only exposition in Europe of its kind, installed in one of the first former underground ballistic missile launch complex of the Soviet Union. The museum's historical exposition tells about the five-decade-long Cold War - one of the most famous and dangerous military conflicts in history. 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. The base was regarded as one of the top Soviet military secrets, only to be revealed by U.S. reconnaissance in 1978. The Plokštinė nuclear missile launch site started operating around three years after it was established. The base boasted of a network of tunnels and included four deep shafts that have a depth between 27 and 34 meters.

The wooden plattform is gone (2024) and after having had a closer look at the source, I decided to forgo tasting the water as I had another 15km hike to finish and didn't want to risk stomach problems. Maybe you are braver than me!

In memory of the first decade of Lithuanian Independence (1918-1928). The history of Lithuania dates back to settlements founded about 10,000 years ago, but the first written record of the name for the country dates back to 1009 AD. Lithuanians, one of the Baltic peoples, later conquered neighboring lands and established the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 13th century (and also a short-lived Kingdom of Lithuania). The Grand Duchy was a successful and lasting warrior state. It remained fiercely independent and was one of the last areas of Europe to adopt Christianity (beginning in the 14th century). In 1385, the Grand Duchy formed a dynastic union with Poland through the Union of Krewo. Later, the Union of Lublin (1569) created the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. During the Second Northern War, the Grand Duchy sought protection under the Swedish Empire through the Union of Kėdainiai in 1655. However, it soon returned to being a part of the Polish–Lithuanian state, which persisted until 1795 when the last of the Partitions of Poland erased both independent Lithuania and Poland from the political map. After the dissolution, Lithuanians lived under the rule of the Russian Empire until the 20th century, although there were several major rebellions, especially in 1830–1831 and 1863. On 16 February 1918, Lithuania was re-established as a democratic state. It remained independent until the onset of World War II, when it was occupied by the Soviet Union under the terms of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. Following a brief occupation by Nazi Germany after the Nazis waged war on the Soviet Union, Lithuania was again absorbed into the Soviet Union for nearly 50 years. In 1990–1991, Lithuania restored its sovereignty with the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania.

Balys Korza was born in 1902 im Nevarėnai, county Telšiai. He started working in 1934 as a postmaster in Plateliai. He was an active public figure, a zealous distributor of the Lithuanian press, loved and respected by the people. On July 12, 1940 he was arrested by the occupying Soviet authorities and imprisoned in Telšiai prison. During the night of June 24 to 25 1941, 75 political prisoners of Telšiai prison were brutally murdered in Rainiai forest near Telšiai prison. Balys Korza was one of the murdered ones.

Take your shoes of and walk over different natural materials such as grass, pebbles, Stones, pine cones etc. There is also a sheltered area in case you get caught in a downpour.