Nestled beside the Kremlin walls on Moscow’s iconic Red Square lies a unique and enduring monument: a stone mausoleum housing the preserved body of Vladimir Lenin, the architect of the Soviet Union. Unlike many world leaders whose embalmed remains were eventually interred, Lenin’s body has remained on public display for over a century since his death in 1924. This post explores the circumstances surrounding the decision to embalm the Soviet founder, the intricate methods used for preservation, and the mausoleum’s journey through decades of political change.
The Final Years and Death of a Revolutionary
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, universally known as Lenin, was born in April 1870 and is widely regarded as one of the 20th century’s most pivotal political figures. He was the driving force behind the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, arguably the most significant political event of modern times, and subsequently led the Soviet state to victory in the brutal Russian Civil War. Many historians rank him among the greatest revolutionary leaders and political thinkers, second perhaps only to Karl Marx in influence.
However, Lenin’s path was fraught with danger. In 1918, he survived an assassination attempt, though a bullet remained lodged in his neck. His health took a severe downturn in early 1922 following surgery to remove the bullet. A stroke left him partially paralyzed and unable to speak. After a period of slight recovery, a second major stroke in March 1923 robbed him of his ability to communicate altogether. Despite brief signs of improvement over the following year, his health was plagued by complications. Lenin made his last visit to the Kremlin in late 1923. Just months later, on January 21, 1924, Vladimir Lenin died at the age of 53.
The State Funeral and a Nation in Mourning
Two days following his death, Lenin’s body was transported by train from his residence in Gorki to Moscow, escorted by Soviet troops. Upon arrival, it was placed in a coffin within the grand hall of the House of the Unions, where the public could pay their respects for three days. On January 27th, the body was ceremoniously moved to its designated resting place on Red Square, accompanied by a military parade.
Initially, Lenin was placed in a temporary wooden mausoleum erected specifically for this purpose on Red Square. His state funeral took place on the afternoon of the 27th, featuring commemorative speeches from Soviet dignitaries like Joseph Stalin and other prominent figures. Vast crowds gathered to bid farewell to the man considered the father of the Soviet nation.
Notably absent was Leon Trotsky, who many considered Lenin’s natural successor. Trotsky later asserted that he had been given the wrong date for the funeral. This claim was supported by Boris Bazhanov, Stalin’s own secretary, who stated that Stalin deliberately provided Trotsky with incorrect information. This act was likely part of Stalin’s strategy to undermine his rival and strengthen his own position in the ensuing power struggle.
To handle the immense influx of mourners arriving from all corners of the Soviet Union, Lenin’s remains were interred in this makeshift wooden structure near the Kremlin Wall. Despite the harsh freezing temperatures of the Russian winter, tens of thousands of people journeyed to Moscow during the mourning period to honor the Bolshevik leader.
The Decision and Process of Embalming
Once the official mourning period concluded, Soviet leadership made the pivotal decision to have Lenin’s body embalmed for extended public display on Red Square. This directive directly contradicted the wishes of Lenin’s widow, Nadezhda Krupskaya, who had requested his burial alongside his mother.
The embalming itself was a form of modern mummification. During the process, Lenin’s brain and internal organs were removed. An institute was specifically established in 1925 dedicated to researching these preserved organs. Through their studies, scientists discovered that Lenin suffered from severe sclerosis, a condition that likely contributed to his death.
The initial responsibility for embalming Lenin’s body fell to pathologist Alexei Ivanovich Abrikosov. Later, the complex task of ongoing maintenance was taken over by Boris Zbarsky and Vladimir Vorobiev. One significant challenge the team faced was the appearance of dark patches on the body, especially on the hands and face. They successfully addressed this issue using various chemical treatments. The long-term preservation regimen involves immersing Lenin’s remains annually in a solution of glycerol and potassium acetate. To prevent the eye sockets from collapsing and maintain the facial structure, artificial eyeballs were inserted into the skull.
From Temporary Structures to a Permanent Monument
Following the embalming, Lenin’s body, housed in its coffin, was placed within the first temporary wooden tomb on Red Square, adjacent to the Kremlin Wall. In the subsequent six weeks, over 100,000 Soviet citizens visited the site. However, the harsh winter weather took its toll on the initial structure. Consequently, a new, more robust wooden mausoleum was constructed and opened to the public on August 1, 1924.
Even with the improved wooden structure, concerns persisted regarding the long-term preservation of Lenin’s body, particularly due to recurring problems with mold and humidity control. This led Soviet authorities to initiate a competition for the design of a permanent, stone mausoleum. The competition attracted 117 submissions, featuring a wide array of imaginative concepts – from a mausoleum shaped like a ship bearing Lenin’s likeness or a globe, to designs mimicking an Egyptian pyramid or a five-pointed star. Ultimately, the commission decided to retain the essential pyramidal shape of the existing wooden tomb. Architect Alexey Shchusev refined his earlier drawings, producing a granite model that received final approval.
The construction of the permanent stone mausoleum was a significant undertaking, lasting sixteen months and concluding in October 1930. The new structure was notably larger than its wooden predecessor: it stood three meters taller, boasted an interior volume of 2,400 cubic meters (a twelve-fold increase), and an exterior volume of 5,800 cubic meters (a four-fold increase). Weighing a staggering ten thousand tons, the granite mausoleum remains the highest point on Red Square.
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Inside the Granite Mausoleum: Design and Experience
Visitors entering the imposing mausoleum encounter a grand interior. Two main staircases lead up to the mourning hall, which features a massive granite block engraved with the Soviet emblem, positioned opposite the entrance vestibule. Another set of staircases continues from the vestibule.
Typically, visitors are directed down the left-hand staircase, which descends into the funeral hall – the chamber containing Lenin’s preserved body. The walls of this solemn space are crafted from black labradorite, a stone known for its shimmering quality, supported by pillars of deep red porphyry. The interplay between these materials creates a striking optical illusion, suggesting that Lenin is surrounded by fluttering red banners.
At the heart of the funeral hall rests Lenin’s colossal stone sarcophagus, also designed by Alexey Shchusev. The upper section of the sarcophagus is ingeniously supported by four strategically placed metal columns, creating the visual effect that this heavy upper portion is suspended in mid-air. Both the interior and exterior surfaces of the sarcophagus are adorned with intricately carved stone symbols representing various facets of the Soviet state. Lenin’s body is visible through four glass windows built into the sarcophagus, tilted carefully to minimize reflections. The overall lighting in the funeral hall is kept dim, with a special spotlight focused directly on Lenin, making him appear almost illuminated from within. This entire presentation was meticulously designed to underscore Lenin’s historical significance and impart a quasi-religious atmosphere to the experience.
Why Was Lenin Embalmed? The Political Symbolism
Initially, the decision to embalm Lenin served a purely practical purpose. Millions of citizens from across the vast Soviet Union were travelling to Moscow to pay their respects as he lay in state. Embalming provided the necessary time for these vast numbers of mourners to view the body before natural decomposition set in.
However, the underlying motivations for permanent preservation, reportedly decided upon by Soviet authorities even before Lenin’s death, were deeply political and symbolic. There were three primary reasons: sustaining Lenin’s cult of personality, reinforcing Soviet legitimacy, and arguably, circumventing the need for an exceptionally extravagant traditional funeral by creating a perpetual shrine. The intention was to present Lenin, the founder of the formidable communist state, not as deceased, but as a revolutionary saint who, in a sense, remained present. Consequently, the Soviet nation he established would symbolically endure alongside him. Over subsequent decades, successive Soviet regimes utilized the mausoleum’s rooftop as a platform for delivering speeches, thereby linking their own leadership directly to Lenin’s legacy.
Furthermore, the very state of Lenin’s body became intertwined with Soviet ideology. The seemingly “miraculous” preservation of the corpse, defying the natural course of decay, conveyed a powerful message: the ideals of communism were equally unchanging and enduring. As Lenin lay perpetually preserved, the Soviet populace was encouraged to look towards a bright communist future. Located in the very heart of Moscow, Lenin’s Mausoleum evolved into a potent symbol of Soviet power and endurance. In the modern context, some view the continued presence of the unburied body as emblematic of contemporary Russia’s challenges in fully reconciling with its Soviet past and defining a compelling vision for its own future.
Lenin’s Body in the Post-Soviet Era
Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the future of Lenin’s body and the mausoleum has been a subject of open debate in Russia. Proposals have been made to relocate his remains to the Kremlin Wall Necropolis, where other prominent Soviet figures are buried. Supported by the Russian Orthodox Church, former President Boris Yeltsin even formulated plans to dismantle the mausoleum and bury Lenin beside his mother, Maria Alexandrovna Ulyanova, in St. Petersburg’s Volkov Cemetery.
However, Yeltsin’s successor, Vladimir Putin, expressed opposition to these plans. Putin argued that reburying Lenin would imply that the generations who lived under Soviet rule adhered to false ideals and that the seventy years of Soviet history were essentially wasted.
As of today, more than a century after his death, Vladimir Lenin remains undisturbed within his granite tomb on Red Square. His final resting place continues to serve as a significant rallying point for Russian communists and protestors. Moreover, the mausoleum retains a ceremonial function; during Russia’s annual Victory Day parades, it is still used as a viewing platform from which the country’s leaders observe the military procession and deliver their own addresses.
Conclusion
The story of Lenin’s embalmed body and his mausoleum is a unique intersection of history, science, and political ideology. Born from a practical need to accommodate mourners, the decision to preserve Lenin became a powerful tool for shaping Soviet identity and legitimacy. Today, over a century later, the granite tomb on Red Square stands not only as a relic of the Soviet era but also as a focal point for ongoing debates about Russia’s past and future, with the preserved leader remaining a potent, if silent, symbol.
