Have you already visited the Vilnius auto museum located in a unique industrial heritage site, the old Vilnius taxi depot built in the 1970s? We visited it and truly recommend it, because both children and adults enjoy this place. As we walked through the exhibition, we discovered what is hidden in the Vilnius auto museum: from the Bermont team trophy to the secret under the floor.
After our visit, we learned what is hidden in the Vilnius auto museum: from the Bermont team trophy to the secret under the floor. The auto museum in Vilnius is not only an exhibition of vintage cars and motorcycles. Instead, it is a place where every vehicle becomes a witness of history, and each exhibit hides a story you want to hear.
Auto Museum – from the Bermont team trophy to the secret under the floor
We saw and learned stories not only about vintage cars but also about unique motorcycles. They once travelled Lithuanian roads. They also survived occupations, deportations, and many long years spent in hiding.
“Wanderer”: from the Bermont team trophy to the ancestor of “Audi”
One of the most impressive museum exhibits is the interwar Wanderer motorcycle. It is a true symbol of survival. Its story began as a war trophy taken from the Bermontians and then given to the Lithuanian army. Later, people rode it on the streets of Kaunas. However, the war years pushed the motorcycle into hiding.
In 2003, people found the Wanderer in Kaunas. It lay dismantled and rotten in an attic. The restoration took a long time. Even so, today it stands proudly again. It reminds visitors that this brand was one of four companies that later merged into Auto Union, which eventually created the Audi logo with four rings.
So it is not only a motorcycle. Instead, it forms a link between Lithuanian history and the development of the global automotive industry.
„Harley Davidson“: a reflection of a racer’s destiny
Another museum highlight is the interwar Harley Davidson that belonged to the racer A. Ilgauskas. Shell gifted him this motorcycle for his victories in competitions. However, the approaching Soviet occupation changed everything. Because he sensed danger, Ilgauskas hid his motorcycles with relatives and friends.
After eleven years of Siberian exile, he returned and began a nearly impossible task. He searched for the dismantled hidden parts and rebuilt his beloved motorcycles. One of them stands in the Kaunas war museum today, while the other is displayed here in the Vilnius auto museum.
This Harley Davidson represents determination, hope, and a strong connection to passion, even when life tests someone in the hardest ways.
“BSA”: the secret hidden under the floor
The most surprising story belongs to the British BSA motorcycle. Imagine this: people buy an old wooden house, begin renovation, and then find a hidden motorcycle under the floor.
People believe someone hid it during the Second World War so it would not fall into the hands of the Red Army. At that time, the Soviets took vehicles for military use. Because of this, the hiding place protected the motorcycle for decades. Eventually, in 2005, the new homeowners found it.
Today, the BSA in the museum reminds visitors that Lithuania still hides many secrets. Each detail may become a discovery for future generations.
What makes the Vilnius auto museum special?
These three stories form only part of what visitors can see and hear in the museum. Here, vehicles turn into living legends. They reveal not only the development of technology but also human destinies, choices, and experiences.
The auto museum in Vilnius becomes a place where cars and motorcycles act as history teachers. It enriches visitors not only with knowledge but also with emotion, because every vehicle here has its own face and its own story.
Even the smallest visitors are welcome
Families with young children and teenagers find several authentic games created specially for them. These activities attract attention, and they also help visitors learn more about the history of automotive evolution. The detective game excites young visitors. In the 4500 m² museum, the children search for a hidden letter code and receive the answer after they decode it correctly.
Tired young detectives can rest in the children’s corner created by auto museum Vilnius. They find colouring sheets with vintage car themes. They also build their own museum with Lego bricks or try an authentic 1970 rocking Ferrari children’s car.
Older children can play the “cold beetroot soup rally.” They search for cars that match the colours of the soup ingredients.
Both the young detectives and the older explorers receive a surprise when they leave the museum, as long as they give the correct answer.
