What You Will See
The first wooden Mausoleum was built to the day of the funeral of Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin) in January, 1924; it had the shape of a cube, topped by a three-stage pyramid. It stood only until the spring of 1924.
According to the Soviet historiography, the idea not to bury Lenin’s body, but save it and put in a sarcophagus, appeared among workers and members of the Bolshevik Party, which sent numerous telegrams and letters about this to the leadership of Soviet Russia. Mikhail Kalinin officially announced this proposal. Only Trotsky spoke out against it, calling the idea “crazy”.
Most post-Soviet historians believed that this idea was actually inspired by Stalin, and the roots of the idea in the desire to are seen the Bolshevik’s wish to create a new religion for the victorious proletariat. According to historians, Stalin intended to give the people himself as king and God in the face of Lenin.
Details of the Tour
Lenin Mausoleum Tour lasts 1 hour and during this time you will:
- Be told about legends connected with the place;
- Realize why Lenin is still inside the Mausoleum in spite of the other political regime in Russia;
- Know what they used to keep the body of the Communists’ Leader;
- Be asked your own opinion about the events.
The History of the Mausoleum
Since November 1917, when victims of revolutionary clashes were buried here in two common graves, the Kremlin Wall has served as a Communist shrine.
In 1953-1961 Mausoleum of Lenin and Stalin was a monument- tomb on Red Square by the Kremlin wall in Moscow.
In 1945 was built the central platform of the mausoleum.
Since 1991, there has been some discussion about removing the body of Lenin and burying it. President Boris Yeltsin intended to dismantle the tomb and bury Lenin next to his mother Maria Alexandrovna Ulyanova, at the Volkov Cemetery in St. Petersburg. His successor, Vladimir Putin, declined that idea pointing out that a reburial of Lenin would offend those who still keep Soviet Era traditions after seventy years of Soviet rule.