A chilling death mask stares back. It’s Lenin’s. Right here in the KGB Museum in Prague. This isn’t some Hollywood set. This is a chilling reminder of a brutal past.
The KGB Museum in Prague isn’t just a museum. It’s a portal. A portal to the shadowy world of the Soviet Union’s secret police. The museum’s two rooms and basement are packed with artifacts. These aren’t just historical objects. They are tangible pieces of history.
Imagine the owner’s passion. He’s from St Petersburg. He brought his private collection to Prague. Why? In Russia people don’t want to remember the KGB days. But in Prague Western tourists are eager to learn. They want to know the stories. This museum tells them.
Look closely. See the walking stick? It’s not ordinary. It hides a poison mechanism. Like the one used in the ‘umbrella murder’ of writer Georgi Markov in 1978. A tiny ricin-filled pellet. A stab in the leg. Three days later he was dead.
The museum showcases eavesdropping devices. A seemingly innocent pincushion hides a microphone. There are telephones with two microphones and two earpieces. Even a telephone from the Smolny Institute in Petrograd. Lenin used it during the 1917 October Revolution.
A hidden camera is concealed in a cigarette case. Only a few were ever made. There’s also a microscopic camera from 1948. Incredible ingenuity. Chilling effectiveness.
See Trotsky’s murder weapon? It’s here too. As is Lavrenti Beria’s radio. Beria was the feared head of the secret services. A photo-reportage shows Prague in 1968. Through a KGB officer’s eyes. Beautiful street scenes. No tanks or destruction. A carefully crafted narrative.
The women’s camouflage uniforms are unique. Horsehair tassels. Tracking dogs wouldn’t attack. The uniforms also have hand-embroidered emblems. Made of Scottish wool. Think of Herr Otto Flick in ‘Allo ‘Allo’. The long leather coat.
Even Lenin’s chamber pot is here. From the Gorky Museum in St Petersburg. There are numbered strands of human hair. Used to identify prisoners. Stamps for forging passports. Kalashnikovs and pistols of all sizes. A portable medical laboratory used during interrogations. Typewriters for coded messages.
This is the KGB Museum. It’s not just a museum. It is a journey. A journey into the heart of Soviet espionage. It is a reminder. A reminder of a chilling past. A past that should never be forgotten.