The KGB Espionage Museum was a museum dedicated to the unbiased presentation of historical and contemporary KGB espionage equipment and tradecraft. The museum opened in the Chelsea and Greenwich Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City on January 17, 2019 and featured the world's largest collection of KGB-specific spy equipment.[1] The museum offered interactive exhibits and guided tours. The museum closed in fall 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19 and its contents were auctioned.[2]
 | |
  Location within Manhattan | |
Former name | KGB Spy Museum |
|---|---|
| Established | January 17, 2019 |
| Location | 245 West 14th St., New York, New York, United States |
| Coordinates | 40°44′14″N 73°59′51″W / 40.737358°N 73.997451°W |
| Type | History Museum |
| Collection size | Over 3,900 Objects |
| Website | https://kgbespionagemuseum.org/ |
History and formation
editThe museum in Manhattan was founded in 2019 by Lithuanian father and daughter team Julius Urbaitis and Agne Urbaityte. The collection began under private ownership by Mr. Urbaitis in Lithuania where their first museum opened in an old KGB bunker.[3] The majority of the collection wasbrought to the United States and was available for public view for the first time.
Permanent collection
editThe KGB Espionage Museum was 4,000 sq. feet (370 sq. meters) and exhibited over 3900 objects. The collection consists of original pieces and two replicas. Prize objects include a lipstick gun known as the "Kiss of Death", a Fialka Machine (the Russian version of the Enigma Machine), and a suicide tooth filled with poison.[4][5]
Exhibitions
editThe museum divided their collection into the following rough categories:
- Spy Cameras
- Recording Devices
- Concealed Listening Devices
- Cipher Machines
- Spy Radios
- KGB Telephones
Interactive exhibits
editThe KGB Espionage Museum offered several areas of interactivity for visitors such as:
- A KGB Interrogation Chair
- Morse Keys
- Switchboards
- KGB Chief's Desk
- Robotic Arm
- KGB Prison Bed
- KGB Uniform Photo Booth
Tours
edit- "Guided Tour": A guided experience[6]
- "Dark Side of the KGB" Tour: A guided tour of the museum in the dark using soviet flashlights[7]
- "Come Back in the USSR 1991" Tour: Experiential tour where the visitor dresses as a KGB cadet, learns how to put on a gas mask, and experiences a KGB interrogation[8]
References
edit- ^ "Educative experience - KGB Espionage Museum - Learning experiences". KGB Espionage Museum. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ Bahr, Sarah (October 28, 2020). "K.G.B. Museum Closes; Lipstick Gun and Other Spy Relics Go on Sale" – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ Guno, Niña V. (February 3, 2019). "New York's KGB museum offers Cold War nostalgia fix". Inquirer Lifestyle. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
- ^ Visontay, Michael (July 31, 2019). "New York's new Cold War Espionage museum". Traveller. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ "KGB Espionage Museum - KGB Espionage Museum - Museum in NY". KGB Espionage Museum. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
- ^ Deb, Sopan (January 21, 2019). "A Museum for K.G.B. Aficionados? Da!". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ "Announcing Exclusive Mysterious Tour 'The Darkside of the KGB'". KGB Espionage Museum. January 13, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ "Announcing New Experiential Show 'Come Back in the USSR 1991'". KGB Espionage Museum. January 13, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2020.