Lenin's Mausoleum, Mausoleum on Red Square, Moscow, Russia
Lenin's Mausoleum is a stepped structure of polished red and dark gray stone at Red Square in Moscow, Russia. A recessed doorway with dark double doors sits in the lower dark band; above, tiered red blocks rise to a flat slab with vertical openings. Inside, a vestibule and staircases lead down to a ten-meter Funeral Hall with a black pedestal and sarcophagus.
Alexey Shchusev designed the stone construction in 1929 as a permanent version of an earlier wooden structure. That first temporary construction had been built shortly after the Soviet leader's death in January 1924.
The mausoleum has served since 1925 as the site of a laboratory that maintains Lenin's body and once embalmed several foreign politicians. Visitors file past the sarcophagus in silence, and the outdoor tribune above the entrance was used by Soviet leaders to review military parades on Red Square.
Access is available only Tuesday through Sunday in the morning, and visitors pass through a controlled entrance with security screening. Photography, filming and loud talking are not permitted inside.
During World War Two, the body was evacuated 2100 miles (3400 km) to Tyumen in Siberia to protect it from a possible capture of Moscow. A team of specialists accompanied the transport and stayed there until the end of the war to maintain the preservation.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,055 contributors worldwide.
