Stalag Luft VI

Stalag Luft VI is a prisoner-of-war camp with preserved wooden barracks and army huts arranged across the grounds southeast of Šilutė. The structures are divided into three separate sections that reveal the original layout of the installation.

The German Air Force established and operated this camp from 1943 to house captured Allied pilots from Britain, the United States, Canada, and Australia. It became one of several camps built to detain airmen shot down or captured during the war.

The site holds personal items and records that document daily life inside the barracks. Visitors can see how prisoners created art, organized performances, and played sports as ways to maintain dignity and community.

The site is best reached by private transport since it sits in a rural area outside the town center of Šilutė. Limited facilities are available on site, so it helps to plan ahead and allow time to walk through the barracks and review the historical exhibits.

Archaeological work in a nearby village uncovered remains of many prisoners buried beneath an old road, which were later reinterred at the site. This discovery revealed the scale of deaths that occurred within the camp during wartime.

Location: Šilutė District Municipality

Inception: 1943

Part of: German Air Force High Command

Opening Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11:00-15:00

Website: http://silutesmuziejus.lt/maciku-lageris-karceris-muziejus

GPS coordinates: 55.35668,21.52033

Latest update: December 8, 2025 21:08