By: Dylan Hebert (History ’17)

Vladimir Lenin may have died on January 21^st, 1924, but to this day, his body remains on display in the Lenin Mausoleum on Red Square. Lenin himself wanted to be buried at St. Petersburg’s Volkovskoye Cemetery alongside his mother, two sisters, and brother in law, but his request was not granted. The decision of whether or not to bury Lenin has frequently resurfaced in years since.

On April 22^nd of this year, Lenin’s 147^th birthday a new poll conducted by the independent Levada Center was released, showing that more than 58% of Russians supported Lenin’s burial. A similar poll conducted in 2011 by United Russia, Russia’s leading political party, found that more than 70% of Russians were in favor of his burial. Even so, 78% of participants were against the removal of Lenin’s mausoleum altogether. More than 1,600 people from 137 cities across Russia participated in the poll between March 31^st and April 3^rd, answering a number of questions related to the long-deceased revolutionary. Of those who wanted him to be buried, 26% said he should be buried alongside his family in St. Petersburg, another 32% wanted him to be buried within the Kremlin walls. Known as the Kremlin Wall Necropolis, hundreds of people related to the revolutionary movement are buried in the Kremlin Wall by Red Square. Famous examples include Felix Dzerzhinsky, the leader of the NKVD (predecessor to the KGB) and Joseph Stalin. Stalin’s body was previously left on display alongside Lenin’s body in the Mausoleum from the time of his death in 1953 until 1961 when his body was removed as part of a larger movement known as De-Stalinization. Even three Americans are buried in the Kremlin walls: Bill Haywood, a labor organizer, Charles Ruthenburg, the founder of Communist Party USA, and the socialist journalist, John Reed.

Preserving Lenin’s body is a difficult process that Russian scientists have been working on ever since his death in 1924, developing new embalming methods in the process. Currently run by a group of five to six anatomists, biochemists, and surgeons, they also help maintain the bodies of Kim Il-Sung, Kim Jong Il, and Ho Chi Minh. In all, the Russian government spends some 198,000 dollars annually on the preservation of Lenin’s body.

Even more than twenty-six years after the fall of Lenin’s Soviet Union, Lenin is still positively viewed by most Russians. In fact, his popularity among Russians has risen from 40% in 2006 to 56% in 2017. While Putin himself has voiced criticism of Lenin’s policies in recent years, he has rejected any plans so far to bury the body, saying that he was not in favor of taking “any steps that would divide society.” Former Russian president, Boris Yeltsin had ordered for Lenin’s burial and the destruction of his Mausoleum in 1996, before backing down when Russia’s Prime Minister of the time, Sergey Stephasin, warned that such a decision would risk ending Yeltsin’s already unstable political career.

The Mausoleum is open every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 10 AM to 1 PM except for on holidays. It is also frequently closed for several weeks at a time as scientists work on preserving the body. Visitors are permitted to stay for no more than a couple of minutes as they must continue moving forward as they pass through the mausoleum. Photos are not allowed and visitors may not put their hands in their pockets. The inner hallways of the Mausoleum are guarded by Russian soldiers, who make sure that no one disobeys the rules. With no costs and short lines, visiting the mausoleum is well worth it for anyone who is curious. Viewing in person the preserved body of a historical figure such as Lenin who has been dead for almost a century, is a surreal experience. Though brief in time, it provides a potentially long lasting and powerful impression.