Lenin Mausoleum in Moscow

History Of Lenin Mausoleum

A place like Lenin Mausoleum in Moscow surely has its share of historical significance. After Lenin passed away in January 1924, it was decided that he would be buried in the ground as per his wish. But the common people of Soviet Russia did not let that happen. The government allegedly received over a thousand letters and telegrams within the next couple of days, where they wanted the body of the Bolshevik leader to be preserved for the coming generations to see and remember. Architect Alexey Shchusev built a temporary wooden tomb for the mourners to visit his tomb, and it was refurbished later in 1929-30. It was determined that the initial embalming and tomb would not sustain the remains for long. Thus the new mausoleum made of concrete, granite, and marble was built, taking inspiration from great ancient mausoleums like the Step Pyramid, Tomb of Cyrus the Great and the Temple of Inscriptions, and was unveiled in 1930.

Significance Of Lenin Mausoleum

The significance of the Lenin Mausoleum can be understood by the fact that between 1924 and 1972, close to 10 million people had visited the tomb. Even though Lenin’s body was removed during the Second World War in fear of Nazi invasion, it did not diminish the footfall at all. It is till date one of the most visited and revered points of interest in Russia, and Lenin tomb visit is almost like a holy spot for the followers of Marxism and Communism.

Lenin Mausoleum Architecture

The original architecture of Lenin Museum was made according to the time available on hand. The other factor was to place the embalmed body of Vladimir Lenin on public display where lakhs of people can be accommodated together to pay their goodbyes to the departed soul. Lenin was the founder and first leader of the Soviet Union. He died on 21 January 1924 and on the night of January 23, architect Alexey Shchusev was given a task to complete the mausoleum within three days. On January 26, the decision was made to place the tomb in Red Square by the Kremlin Wall. By January 27, Shchusev built a tomb out of wood and at 4 p.m. that day they placed Lenin's coffin in it. The tomb was finally made out of wood. By August 1924, the tomb got upgraded to a bigger version. The architect Konstantin Melnikov designed Lenin's sarcophagus, the stone coffin. To preserve the body for long, the wooden mausoleum was upgraded to the one made of stone with the help of the architects Alexey Shchusev, I.A. Frantsuz, and G.K. Yakovlev. Marble, porphyry, granite, labradorite, and other construction materials were used. In October 1930, the construction of the stone tomb was finished. In 1973, sculptor Nikolai Tomsky designed a new sarcophagus. The building was constructed out of rare, precious and durable materials. The building has a guard house, an administration building and a highly complex climate system.