Vilnius will go back to the future

VILNIUS -- As part of its programme for its role as European Capital of Culture in 2009, a soviet-style military bunker will be open to the public.

A new interactive historical and educationalproject, titled '1984 - Survival Drama' will depict the Soviet era in Lithuania, and the 50 yearsof occupation that ended on March 11, 1990.

The project organized in the bunker, which was built in the 1980s as an emergency television station in case of a nuclear war, will present theinfluence of the totalitarian regime to the political, economic and culturalof the country and day-to-day lives of ordinary people.

"The authentic environment and atmosphere of 1984 will cause projectparticipants to think why our parents and grandparents take pride in singingthe Lithuanian national anthem and athletes wrap [themselves] in the national flag aftermajor victories," Egle Staskunaite, manager of the project, said in a pressrelease.

Starting Dec. 15, the bunker will open tothe general public.