Throughout the whole Soviet Union, buildings with basements were assigned to repressive structures. They were needed to house the so-called internal prisons. NKVDers, in order to physically and psychologically break people down, used to lock them in cells and keep them in unbearable conditions. The main tool that was used to affect the detainees was torture, which did not stop even after the interrogations were over, — during the day, overnight exhausted prisoners were forbidden to lie down or sleep.

An authentic cell can be seen in the museum’s exposition. The remaining wooden doors have a locking system, a door viewer and an opening window through which food was served to detainees. The lock would often be specifically slammed when locking it, to maximize the stress on the prisoners. The cell was about 4 m long and 3 m wide, with a low ceiling. During the day and night, the so-called Ilyich lamp was lit, as the room was at dusk and the air was damp and humid. Bread would mould from the humidity within a day. An iron container that stood in the corner and was used for natural needs would cause a bad smell. The guards would watch the inside of the cell through an “eye” in the door. Sleeping during the day was strictly forbidden and the food was extremely bad.

The cell also displays original beds. They were received from the Vilnius Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights based on deposit rights. Until 1947, there used to be no beds in the cells, but later wooden ones appeared. Visitors are presented with surviving examples from a later period, which were used throughout the Soviet Union at the time. They were often screwed to the floor.

From 1945 to 1953, a total of 8 268 people were imprisoned in this internal prison in Klaipėda.