Vladimir Ilyich Lenin is a key figure of the entire Bolshevik movement and probably the most prominent political figure of the 20th century. After his death, the leader of the world proletariat was turned into a real mummy and put on display in the mausoleum. To this day, Lenin remains a historical artifact of a bygone era, and no one is in a hurry to part with him through burial.
Why Lenin Won't Be Buried in Our Time
The fact that in the USSR they were so concerned with glorifying Ilyich is understandable to anyone who has studied the history of the Soviet Union even a little. They wanted to make Lenin an eternally living symbol of the revolution and the Red movement. Many articles were written about Lenin, and to this day, an entire institute monitors his condition (if one can put it that way).After the collapse of the USSR, Lenin remained in his place, as the times were turbulent, and there were simply more pressing matters; moreover, Ilyich also attracted the attention of foreign tourists, which was also important. Although even in the 90s, the issue of his burial was raised, but it quickly faded away.
Nowadays, one can safely say that keeping the leader's body in such a state is, in principle, un-Christian. Times have changed. As an object of tourist interest, it essentially doesn't have to be one anymore. Nevertheless, Lenin continues to lie in his Mausoleum, and questions remain open.
Here, essentially, Putin puts a stop to the question of Lenin's burial. As long as the memory of the USSR is alive, the leader in the mausoleum remains a monument to a bygone, in its own way great country, like Atlantis sinking beneath the waves.
We should also not forget that the CPRF faction, for which Lenin is at least publicly a kind of shrine, is still active in politics, and the mausoleum itself is part of the buffer zone of a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.
What Wikipedia says:
According to VTsIOM data as of April 21, 2017, 39% of Russian citizens considered the Lenin Mausoleum a tourist attraction, 38% believed that the presence of Lenin's body on Red Square was wrong and unnatural, 18% believed that the body rightfully lies in the mausoleum. At the same time, 63% were in favor of burying Lenin's body: 32% believed it should be done immediately, 31% - after some time.
Another point of view:
There is an opinion that the issue of Lenin's burial will be resolved after 2024, on the centenary of his death.
Interesting facts:
V.I. Lenin's wife, Nadezhda Krupskaya, wrote in the newspaper "Pravda": "Do not let your grief for Ilyich descend into the external veneration of his person. Do not erect monuments to him, palaces named after him, lavish celebrations in his memory... – he attached so little importance to all this during his life, was so burdened by it all...".
Trotsky called the idea of creating the mausoleum "sheer madness".
Throughout its history, the Mausoleum has been targeted for bombing 11 times.
Useful links:
An FSO representative revealed the secrets of the Mausoleum: why Lenin won't be reburied.
Wikipedia: Lenin's Mausoleum.
Visiting Hours for the V.I. Lenin Mausoleum
The V.I. Lenin Mausoleum is under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Kremlin Commandant's Office. Visiting hours and days: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 10:00 to 13:00. Admission is free.Since 2021, a QR code confirming vaccination or recovery from illness, or a medical exemption, is required.
Information phone number: +7 (495) 623-55-27 (Tue, Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun 10:00–13:00).
Address of the V.I. Lenin Mausoleum:
Moscow, Red Square, 9 (view on Yandex Maps). Metro stations: Okhotny Ryad, Teatralnaya, Ploshchad Revolyutsii.
Information sources:
Moscow Kremlin Museums: https://www.kreml.ru/visit-to-kremlin/ticket-prices/poseshchenie-drugikh-muzeev.
Kremlin Museums, tours: https://kremlinmuseum.ru/raspisanie/.
