KGB Espionage Museum facts for kids
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| Former name | KGB Spy Museum |
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| Established | January 17, 2019 |
| Location | 245 West 14th St., New York, New York, United States |
| Type | History Museum |
| Collection size | Over 3,900 Objects |
The KGB Espionage Museum was a special museum in New York City that showed off the secret world of spies. It was dedicated to the KGB, which was the main spy agency for a country called the Soviet Union. The museum opened on January 17, 2019, and had the world's largest collection of real KGB spy equipment.
Visitors could see amazing gadgets and even try some interactive exhibits. The museum was a popular spot in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. Sadly, it had to close in the fall of 2020. After it closed, its huge collection of spy items was sold at an auction.
Contents
How the Museum Started
The museum was created by a father and daughter team from Lithuania, Julius Urbaitis and Agne Urbaityte. Mr. Urbaitis was a collector who started gathering spy items many years ago. His first museum was located in an old, real KGB bunker in Lithuania.
Later, they decided to bring most of the amazing collection to the United States. This allowed people in New York to see these rare spy tools for the very first time.
Amazing Spy Gadgets on Display
The KGB Espionage Museum was a large space, covering 4,000 square feet (370 square meters). It was filled with over 3,900 objects from the world of spying. Almost all of the items were original, with only two being replicas, or exact copies.
Some of the most famous items included:
- A gun cleverly hidden inside a lipstick tube, nicknamed the "Kiss of Death."
- A Fialka Machine, which was the Russian version of the famous Enigma Machine used to send secret coded messages.
- A fake tooth that could hold poison. A spy might have used this to avoid being captured.
What Kinds of Spy Gear Were There?
The museum organized its huge collection into different sections. This helped visitors explore the different types of spy technology.
The main categories were:
- Spy Cameras
- Secret Recording Devices
- Hidden Listening Devices (Bugs)
- Cipher Machines for codes
- Spy Radios
- Special KGB Telephones
Fun Interactive Exhibits
One of the best parts of the museum was that you could interact with the exhibits. It gave visitors a chance to feel like a real spy.
Some of the hands-on activities included:
- Sitting in a replica of a KGB interrogation chair.
- Trying out Morse code keys to send secret messages.
- Operating old-fashioned telephone switchboards.
- Sitting at a desk designed to look like a KGB chief's office.
- Using a robotic arm.
- Seeing what a KGB prison bed looked like.
- Dressing up in a KGB uniform for a fun photo.
Special Museum Tours
The museum offered guided tours to give visitors a deeper look into the world of espionage.
- Guided Tour: An expert guide would lead visitors through the museum. They shared stories and secrets about the different spy gadgets.
- Nighttime Tour: This special tour took place in the dark. Visitors used old Soviet-style flashlights to explore the exhibits, making it extra mysterious.
- KGB Cadet Experience: On this tour, visitors could pretend to be a new KGB recruit. They learned how to put on a gas mask and took part in a simulated KGB interrogation to see what it was like.
