Vladimir Lenin's Statue
Pointing Lenin Statue
One of the most sculpted persons of the twentieth century, statues of Vladimir Iliych Lenin have stood in dozens of countries in and outside the "Iron Curtain" of Soviet and Eastern Bloc states. Always politically controversial, many of the statues in the former Communist countries were removed, relocated or destroyed in the early 1990s. Of these, many of the remaining monuments were protected by elders who stood guard until the revolutionary fervor died down later in the decade. 15 years later, protesters still meet in an effort to have Lenin statues removed.
Perhaps one of the most famous statues of Vladimir Lenin stands, with him pointing, just outside the Finland Rail Terminal (also Finland Station and Finlyandskiy Vokzal) in St. Petersburg, Russia. It commemorates an important speech regarding the history of the October (November by western calendars) Russian Revolution of 1917. This very spot is thought to be the exact location Lenin jumped atop an armored car and addressed the street upon his return from exile in Switzerland in April of 1917. Sent back to Russia by the Germans, Lenin was, in part, responsible for toppling the Czar (or Tsar) and his forces just months later.
The larger than life Pointing Lenin statue stands across the street from the station in a small park near the Neva River called Ploshchad Lenina (Lenin Square). The design depicts a dynamic Vladimir Lenin in the midst of his address. Comprised of bronze, the statue was sculpted by Sergei Yevseyev with structural assistance from architects V. Shchuko and V. Gelfreikh. Final work and dedication was done in 1926, just two years after Lenin's death and the re-naming of the city from Petrograd to Leningrad.
The station itself still remains a busy transport site as well as a testament of the historic event. The original Swedish designed station was built in 1870. The ornate edifice included a special platform for royal travelers. Owned and operated by the Finnish rail service, it was the Easternmost terminus of the Riihimäki (or St. Petersburg Rail Line). The station was turned over to Soviet authorities in 1918 and was subsequently destroyed during the siege of Leningrad in World War II. Rebuilt in 1960, the monolithic building is adorned with one of the surviving porticos from the original station. In fact, the very locomotive that Lenin rode that fateful day was donated to the Soviets by the Finnish government and now can be found in the station museum.
The park, often described by travelers as dismal, was revamped in 2005. It now contains fountains that empty by the Pointing Lenin statue's feet.