Monument to Felix Dzerzhinsky, Moscow, Bronze statue in Yakimanka District, Russia
The Monument to Felix Dzerzhinsky is a bronze sculpture on a granite base in Yakimanka District, Moscow, Russia. The figure weighs 11 tons and shows the man in a long coat with defined facial features and visible hands.
The sculpture was unveiled on December 20, 1958, near the KGB headquarters and stood there for over three decades. During the August 1991 coup attempt, it was removed from its original location and later moved to Muzeon Park of Arts.
Inscriptions and markings from 1991 cover the base, reminding visitors of citizens who voiced their rejection of the secret police. Today the figure stands among other removed monuments, showing how attitudes toward the Soviet past have shifted over time.
The sculpture stands in Muzeon Park of Arts, where visitors can view it alongside other historical monuments from the Soviet period. The park is open to the public and allows guests to walk among the displayed works at their own pace.
The statue is hollow, so toppling it with ropes from a bus risked it breaking apart and injuring the crowd. Sergei Stankevich climbed onto the bus roof and promised a crane removal, which was then carried out. Graffiti from 1991, including "executioner" and "antichrist", was kept on the pedestal.
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