Statue of Joseph Stalin, Bronze monument in Gori, Georgia.
The Statue of Joseph Stalin is a bronze figure about 20 ft (6 m) tall showing the Soviet leader in a general's coat, and it stands in the courtyard of the Stalin Museum in Gori, Georgia. The statue is visible from the museum grounds and can be seen alongside other objects from the Soviet period.
Erected in 1952, while Stalin was still alive, the 6-metre bronze figure on a 9-metre granite pedestal was made by sculptor Shota Mikatadze with architects Archil and Zakharia Kurdiani. When Khrushchev's de-Stalinization campaign reached Gori in 1956, residents pitched tents and guarded the monument day and night, and it stayed. On the night of 24–25 June 2010 it was dismantled without warning and moved by crane to the Stalin Museum courtyard.
The statue shows Stalin in a general's coat, and standing in his hometown gives it a meaning that a statue elsewhere would not carry. Visitors often notice flowers placed at its base, a sign that feelings about him remain divided among local people.
The statue stands on the grounds of the Stalin Museum in central Gori, so it is easy to find on foot from most parts of town. Visiting the museum itself gives more context to what the statue represents, so the two are worth seeing together.
In 1956, when Khrushchev's de-Stalinization campaign targeted the monument, residents of Gori pitched tents and guarded it day and night to prevent a quiet removal, according to Irakli Kandareli. The statue stayed in the central square until June 2010, when it was moved to the Stalin Museum courtyard.
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