TheKGB Espionage Museum was amuseum dedicated to the unbiased presentation of historical and contemporaryKGBespionage equipment andtradecraft. The museum opened in theChelsea andGreenwich Village neighborhoods ofManhattan inNew 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 ofCOVID-19 and its contents were auctioned.[2]
The 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 inLithuania where their first museum opened in an oldKGB bunker.[3] The majority of the collection was brought to theUnited States and was available for public view for the first time.
The KGB Espionage Museum was 4,000 sq. feet (370 sq. meters) and exhibited over 3900 objects. The collection consists of original pieces and tworeplicas. Prize objects include alipstickgun known as the "Kiss of Death", aFialka Machine (the Russian version of theEnigma Machine), and asuicide tooth filled with poison.[4][5]
"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 KGBcadet, learns how to put on agas mask, and experiences a KGBinterrogation[8]
