Who lies in the Mausoleum: a doll, a mummy or a wax figure? How many Lenin lies in the mausoleum, silently looking at the ceiling What is now with the body of Lenin

A simple question, where is Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, the leader of the world proletariat (or rather, his mortal body), can be answered by every modern schoolboy: of course, in the mausoleum that stands on Red Square in Moscow. However, not everything is as simple as it seems at first glance. According to some reports, only a part of the remains of the great communist leader lives there.

The emergence of an idea

According to communist historians, this idea - not to bury Lenin, but, after embalming him, to place him in a special sarcophagus - was born in the worker-peasant environment, among the rank-and-file members of the Bolshevik Party. Officially at the congress, this idea was voiced by the "all-Union headman" - Kalinin. It is known that Trotsky, as one of the leaders of the party, was categorically against such "blasphemy", calling the very idea "madness". And the widow of the leader, Krupskaya, wrote in 1924 that they should not arrange all sorts of monuments for Lenin after the death, since he himself was burdened by this during his lifetime. Nadezhda Konstantinovna, of course, was categorically against the mummification of Ilyich's body.

class religion

Current historians believe that the idea to preserve the remains of the leader was invented by Lenin's successor, Stalin. Its roots are in the desire to have a kind of religion of the victorious class of workers and peasants, called to replace the worship of Jesus Christ. At the same time, the class religion positioned itself as a kind of pagan cult: the object of worship was the mummy of the deified leader, the high priest was the general secretary of the Bolshevik party. The "relics" of the leader were given special significance: they were supposed to be worshiped by the masses. So, Bukharin (one of the ideologists of the revolution) wrote in one of his letters about the icons of the leaders and the relics of Ilyich. And Stalin spoke in connection with this about the symbol of faith for the class - Marxism.

Mausoleum today

Be that as it may, the room for the mummified body of Lenin was built (by the way, from 1953 to 1961 the mausoleum was also called the name of Lenin-Stalin, it contained the body of another leader) in 1924, after the death of the leader. At the beginning, the mausoleum was wooden, then granite. The sarcophagus itself is located below the level of the square, which corresponds, as the mummification ideologists justify, to Christian traditions. The very idea of ​​​​creating a structure bears signs of much more ancient rituals: the customs of embalming existed in ancient Egypt. The architectural monument is similar in its form to the Babylonian ziggurat. The mortal remains of the body of Vladimir Ilyich lie there to this day (according to some sources, only a part: the skull, some bones, only ten percent, everything else has been replaced by skilled embalmers). There are also rumors, partially documented, that the ashes of the leader have already been reburied next to the wife and sister of the leader. Is this true? And is it worth it to deal with the transfer of the remains of Lenin? So one of the modern leaders of Russia, Putin, said that the Russian people themselves will decide how to deal with this. History does not tolerate fuss.

So, on January 22, Prof. Abrikosov injected about six liters of alcohol, formaldehyde and glycerin through the aorta. But instead of 5 days, the body then lay for more than 3 months. Lenin's face was covered with cracks in front of the thousands of Soviet citizens who daily came to the Hall of Columns. According to one version, the inactivity was caused by the idea to freeze the body using a special refrigerator, but the German suppliers did not have time to complete the urgent order. Meanwhile, professors Zbarsky and Vorobyov lobbied for the idea of ​​deep chemical embalming of the body. At a meeting with Dzerzhinsky Prof. Zbarsky reported that the body was in critical condition, and Felix abandoned freezing in favor of chemical embalming.

In March, experts removed all the contents of the skull, chest and abdominal cavities from Lenin's body. The eyes were replaced with glass balls. From the inside, the body was washed with acetic acid. At the first stage, it was completely impregnated with a formaldehyde solution. This compound denatures body proteins, making them chemically more inert, destroying bacteria and fungi. The main difficulty here was in the impregnation technology. Usually they embalm by injecting fluids through the blood vessels, but in this case they have already been partially destroyed by decomposition. Incisions were made all over the body, on the abdomen, on the shoulders, legs, back and palms of the hands, so that the balm would penetrate and saturate the whole body well.

Then Lenin's body was placed in a bath with a solution of glycerin, potassium acetate, water, and chlorine-quinine. This procedure has been repeated every two years since then. After the bath, they put on new underwear and a military jacket (since 1961 - a suit). Visitors are surprised by the blush on Lenin’s cheeks, a brilliance that contrasts with the haggard appearance the leader in the last photographs, when progressive paralysis had already fettered his right leg and arm - this is precisely what explains that one hand of the mummy is clenched into a fist.

Yellowish pallor is eliminated with red filters placed on light sources illuminating the hands and face. To close the lips, the mouth is neatly sewn. Where Lenin's eyes, internal organs, brain and heart are stored is a muddy story. The brain was divided into thousands of samples and studied in many laboratories around the world, but no features were found in the head of the leader.

I have already been asked if it is possible to clone Lenin? If his body were frozen, the chance of successful cloning is high. But formaldehyde significantly denatures organic molecules, including DNA. Now the genes can not even be read to recreate the genome again. So everything that remains of Lenin is completely useless for science. And personally, I think that it is high time to cremate him, and bury the ashes. Naturally, the leadership of the Mausoleum adheres to the opposite opinion. For example, Valery Bykov, the current director of the Mausoleum's laboratory, assures that mummification "does not go beyond the Christian canons", since the crypt is located in the basement of the Mausoleum, "below ground level".

On the last anniversary of Lenin's death, Putin revived the controversy over the burial of the leader's body. But despite his view that "Lenin planted a bomb under Russia," Putin sees the leader's burial as a dangerous step towards a split in society.

Next time I will tell you why freezing a terminally ill person in liquid nitrogen in the hope that in the future they will be able to unfreeze and cure is a waste of money. Who better than me - a specialist in cryopreservation of stem cells - to tell about this? In order not to miss, subscribe to the most read blog about medicine - it's super interesting! If you do not have a LiveJournal account, subscribe to updates in

Many visitors often ask the question of how many years Lenin lies in the Mausoleum. At the same time, an equally curious question is how it was possible to preserve the leader of the revolution in almost its original form. In fact, there are quite a few videos about how Lenin is washed in the Mausoleum, but the changing of the guard does not happen just like that. Security guards almost around the clock to ensure that no one gets inside. But for what?

Lenin - an outstanding personality?

Vladimir Ilyich is a historically significant figure, because if the Revolution had not taken place in due time, then perhaps we would still be living under the tsarist regime. Unlike Stalin, Lenin was not such a controversial personality, but his character was dominated by more negative traits than positive ones. That is why the leader of the revolution had no friends, only comrades-in-arms with whom he carried out his plan. It was the complete lack of compassion for people that prompted him to fight against the regime that existed at that time.

Nevertheless, Lenin was fluent in oratory, thanks to which he led a huge number of people behind him. This man drove some people crazy, and invariably delighted others. Therefore, the architect of the Mausoleum worked on the construction of the last resting place of the leader with such inspiration.

Where did the idea of ​​the mausoleum come from and who designed it?

How many years Lenin lies in the Mausoleum is known, for sure, to every person who has ever been interested in the history of this building. The body of the leader was laid in this building in 1924, but since that time this building has been rebuilt and improved several times. When was the first Lenin Mausoleum built?

The very first wooden Mausoleum was built in the same 1924, the same year as the leader himself died.

Preference was given to the architect Shchusev, although there were quite a lot of applications, and the commission was very careful in deciding who to hand over such a serious project to. The main idea of ​​creating a mausoleum arose almost immediately, as soon as Lenin died. The fact is that the authorities of that time wanted to leave the body of this great man incorruptible as a symbol of the invincibility of his deeds. If there had not been a revolution, the further fate of the country would have developed according to a completely different scenario.

How Lenin is “served” and why he is guarded

Few people know what Lenin looks like in the mausoleum, because it is quite problematic to get there at the present time, and not because this object is carefully guarded. The opening hours of the mausoleum are very inconvenient - only on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. is it allowed to visit inside this building, but even if you manage to get to Red Square at this time, get ready to spend a lot of time in a huge queue.

In fact, maintenance of Lenin's body is quite expensive every year. Embalming initially cost 12 thousand euros per week of work. At present, the question of how Lenin is bathed remains open, since the government is not in the mood to put such a process on public display.

As to why the leader is guarded, there are many versions. They even say that during his lifetime, Lenin made a deal with the devil, and his tomb was created according to all the laws of magic. But still, the mausoleum is guarded for the reason that no one touches the body, in which a huge amount of budgetary funds has been invested.

In the past, there was also a case of an attempt on the body of Vladimir Ilyich, after which it was necessary to strengthen security and ensure the changing of the guard.

Disputes: what does the Russian Orthodox Church, humanists and communists say?

The debate about whether it is worth keeping the mausoleum at the present time on the maintenance of the state continues to this day. The Communists are firmly convinced that this is a monument to the history of our country, so talking about removing it would be like spitting in the face of those who fought for this country. Humanists are now divided into two camps, some say that it is necessary to bury the leader with dignity and calm down, while others zealously insist that this should not be done.

The Orthodox Church took the side of the first humanists, since according to the law of God, after the death of a person, it is necessary to betray him to the earth. The church claims that otherwise the soul of this person will not be able to find peace, so many priests are inclined to think that Lenin's body must be buried and the mausoleum closed.

Obviously, in connection with this date, one of the most zealous activist publicists will again demand “to bury Lenin like a human being”, “although he is ...” And, of course, someone will definitely offer to “remove the Mausoleum from Red Square” .

However, these guardians of the "values ​​of imperial Russia", in a strange way coinciding with a similar song of the guardians of the "values ​​of democratic Russia", come up with such proposals regularly, and not only in the days of April.

May 9 is still ahead. And, presumably, again, almost universal bewilderment and the corresponding gossip will be caused by a gigantic temporary, and by no means historical construction, which on this day will hide the Lenin Mausoleum from the eyes of the parade participants and tens of millions of viewers.

In my opinion, it’s time to finally put an end to the meaningless sluggish, but fueled by the voices of these same publicists-activists, the discussion about the Mausoleum, and the bad and vulgar tradition of recent decades - to cover historical reality with painted canvas and plywood for a day or two. Yes, everyday reality. After all, no one, thank God, has demolished the Mausoleum yet. And on the rest of the days, it stands where it has stood for the last almost a hundred years, and in its current granite-marble form, it has been for 86 years.

In my opinion, if we rely on historical realities and common sense, the problem of the body of Lenin and the Mausoleum is being solved calmly, while not causing any serious, not only political upheavals, but even particularly lengthy and heated discussions.

What are the historical realities?

The mausoleum was built on Red Square as the tomb of Vladimir Lenin, the founder of the Soviet state, including specifically the USSR, as well as the head of the Soviet government. And modern Russia has officially declared itself the historical and legal successor Soviet Union.

Many historical events that are especially revered today in Russia, moreover, revered officially, are associated with the Mausoleum. In particular, these are the military parade on November 7, 1941 and the Victory Parade on June 24, 1945.

Despite the fact that in different strata of society the attitude towards Lenin is very contradictory, up to a purely negative one, one cannot but admit that, on the whole, a positive attitude towards him still dominates in society. And this is historical memory and the historical consciousness of the people.

Moreover, it is impossible to deny that Vladimir Lenin is one of the major political figures of the 20th century. It undeniably influenced the course of world history, and the evidence that it was exclusively negative is rather inconclusive.

Finally, it is generally recognized that the Lenin Mausoleum is an architectural masterpiece created by one of the best architects of the first half of the 20th century - Alexey Shchusev. And this masterpiece is very tactfully and harmoniously inscribed in the historical ensembles of Red Square and the side of the Moscow Kremlin facing it.

What does common sense tell us?

Breaking, destroying another historical monument, and even of such architectural quality, is a crime.

Lenin, despite the worship that has been cultivated for him for many years, in particular, and in the form of his incorruptible body, is a man. And should be buried in the ground.

Those to whom Lenin is still dear, and there are not thousands or even millions, but tens of millions of such people in Russia and not only in Russia, have the right to pay tribute to his memory where it has historically developed, and not in any other place . After all, members of the royal family, whose remains are found, despite the fact that the attitude to Romanov in modern Russia also by no means exclusively positive, they are buried not in any especially revered state cemeteries, but in their family tomb in the cathedral of the Peter and Paul Fortress.

So, based on this, obvious, unambiguous, not amenable to any multiple interpretations, unless one takes into account political speculation and individual emotions, one can and should, in my opinion, make the only right decision. Namely: to bury, lowering into a grave or into an underground crypt, the body of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin in the coffin in which it is now located, in the Mausoleum, which was built for him, and not for anyone else, and has already become the historical place of his rest.

In this regard, of course, access to public viewing of Lenin's body will be closed. However, admission to the grave of Lenin, that is, inside the Mausoleum, should be open to everyone - taking into account the regime of Red Square.

It is unacceptable to close the Lenin Mausoleum during any public holidays on Red Square with any screens, partitions, decorations, etc.

If, for some reason, the current leaders of the state and those who are charged by their position with developing and updating official ceremonies believe that the highest officials of modern Russia cannot host, for example, military parades against the backdrop of the tomb of the leader of the state, which arose as a result of fratricidal civil war, then the expanse of Red Square makes it possible to build, instead of one of the guest stands located to the right and left of the Mausoleum, a new "presidential" stand, stylistically inscribed in the ensemble of Red Square - in an ensemble that includes the Mausoleum.

I would even venture to suggest the idea of ​​two such stands. The first is closer to the Historical Museum. It will be a platform for celebrations related to the history of Russia in the imperial, pre-Soviet period. This is followed by the Mausoleum - the Soviet period. And between it and Vasilyevsky Spusk, a new presidential platform is being created for celebrations related to the history of post-Soviet Russia.

That's all. No further destruction, no denial, no oblivion, no political and historical hypocrisy in the form of fences with drawings, which, at best, belong on a postcard.

On January 27, 1924, the coffin with the body of Lenin was placed in a wooden mausoleum built in a matter of days on Red Square. The decision not to bury the body was not unprecedented: earlier cases of embalming are known. But not for individuals of this magnitude. However, the example of the leader of the world proletariat proved to be contagious. Over the next half century, the bodies of many political figures were mummified.

(Total 11 photos)

1. Joseph Stalin

Lenin's successor died on March 5, 1953, and four days later the coffin was transported on a gun carriage from the House of the Unions to Red Square. At noon, an artillery salute thundered over the Kremlin, the whole country fell silent for five minutes. Stalin's body lay in the mausoleum until 1961, until the XXII Congress of the CPSU decided that "Stalin's serious violations of Lenin's precepts, abuse of power, mass repressions against honest Soviet people and other actions during the period of the cult of personality make it impossible to leave the coffin with his body in the Mausoleum of V.I. Lenin. A day later, Stalin was buried near the Kremlin wall.

2. Mao Zedong

The tomb of the longtime leader of the People's Republic of China is one of the main attractions of Beijing. The mausoleum was erected on Tiananmen Square in 1977. The building area is more than 57 thousand square meters. In addition to the hall for visitors, where a crystal coffin with the mummified corpse of Mao is placed, the mausoleum houses the hall of revolutionary achievements, and on the second floor there is a cinema hall. There they show documentary"Tosca", dedicated to the life of an idol.

3. Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il

After the founder of the North Korean state Kim Il Sung passed away in 1994, his son Kim Jong Il ordered the leader's residence to be converted into a mausoleum. Officially, it is called the Kymsusan Memorial Palace of the Sun. In 2011, the body of Kim Jong Il was laid next to the sarcophagus of the Eternal President of the DPRK. It is forbidden to take pictures, talk loudly and appear in bright clothes in the mausoleum.

4. Ho Chi Minh

The first president of North Vietnam asked in his will to be cremated, his ashes to be placed in three ceramic urns and buried in different parts countries. But his will was not carried out. When the politician died in 1969, Soviet experts embalmed his body. At first, the mummy was kept in a secret place to protect it from American bombing during Vietnam War, and the glass coffin was transferred to the mausoleum in Hanoi six years after the death of Ho Chi Minh. There is a garden around the tomb, where about 250 species of flora grow from various districts Vietnam.

5. Georgy Dimitrov

The General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party, who was called the "Bulgarian Lenin", died in 1949 in Barvikha, near Moscow, where he came for treatment. The body was taken to Sofia, embalmed and placed in a mausoleum. There it lay until 1990, when the communist regime fell. At the request of his relatives (according to the official version), Dimitrov was reburied, and the crypt was demolished.

6. Eva Peron

Eva was the wife of Argentine President Juan Peron, for her active citizenship she was considered the spiritual leader of the nation. The woman died at the age of 33 from cancer, and her embalmed body was put on public display. After the overthrow of Juan Perón in 1955, the mummy was moved to Milan and buried. Having regained the presidency, Peron sent Eva's body to his homeland and placed it in the family crypt.