Probably, on the world map there is no such state, city or town that would not have its own attractions. Paris became famous for its Eiffel Tower, Egypt for its ancient pyramids, and for Buryatia, as well as for the whole of Eastern Siberia, the monument to Lenin (Ulan-Ude) is a special pride.
This magnificent statue is striking in its size. Domestic and foreign tourists are eager to come here to see firsthand the bronze head of the proletariat’s leader, almost eight meters high, mounted on a pedestal.
Events Prior to the Construction of Grandiose Sculpture
Was the monument to Lenin really necessary for the ancient Siberian city? Ulan-Ude, like other settlements of the Soviet Union, could boast of more than one such statue. Usually the figures of the leader in full growth with a raised hand were cast from metal or carved from granite.
In the territory of the small Buryat-Mongol Autonomous Republic alone, there were more than 20 sculptures depicting the founder of a socialist state. But in 1957, the local authorities had an idea to build a new monument. For some reason, the financing of the project was frozen, but the idea did not stop floating in the air.
After 10 years, the whole country began to prepare for the 100th anniversary of the birth of Ilyich. By the upcoming three years later date, artists wrote paintings, poets and composers composed songs, directors shot movies. Workers of industrial and agricultural enterprises did not stand aside, dedicating labor feats and records to the leader.
Monument to Lenin (Ulan-Ude): the history of the monument
Among the people of creative professions, a real competition flared up to create the best artistic composition capable of perpetuating the image of the ideologist of the communist idea. In 1967, sculptors father and son named Neroda made a sculpture depicting the leader's head on a pedestal. The work was highly appreciated by domestic experts and was awarded a state prize. Among other art exhibits, they decided to present an unusual sketch at world exhibitions in France and Canada.
At Expo-67 in Montreal, sculpture aroused interest among the then Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Buryatia, N. B. Pivovarov. After taking some pictures, the high official upon returning home invited the government of the republic to consider the construction of such a monument in the capital city. After much debate and doubt, it was decided that a monument to Lenin (Ulan-Ude) would be built specifically for this project. Four years later (November 5, 1971), the grand opening of the sculptural composition took place on Council Square.
The main parameters of the giant head of the leader
In the early 90s, some local newspapers published information that the monument was noted in the Guinness Book of Records as the most fundamental head of Lenin. In fact, the journalists gave the wish for the reality. No official measurements of the statue were made, and there are no supporting documents in this regard.
But the size of the head is really impressive. The grandeur of scale is the main factor that strikes the monument to Lenin (Ulan-Ude).
Description of the monument in numbers
- The total height of the composition is 14 meters.
- Head size in height - 7.7 m;
the radius of the widest part is 4.5 m;
weight - 42 tons.
- Pedestal: height - 6.3 m;
the perimeter at the base is 4.52 x 5.8 m;
the perimeter at the top is 4.52 x 4.71 m.
The head is made of bronze, the concrete pedestal is faced with granite tiles. Thanks to the tilt of the rear panel of the pedestal, it seems that the head is in contact with the plane at only one point.
Little-known facts about one of the main attractions of Buryatia
They say that the monument to Lenin Ulan-Ude received in the form of two halves, the final installation was made by local craftsmen. The authors of the project, the father and son of Neroda, as well as the architects P. G. Zilberman and A. N. Dushkin, who built the monument, attended the opening.
Many Internet sources indicate that the head was made at the Mytishchi stone-cutting factory. Apparently, an error crept in here. The monument made for Ulan-Ude (the head of Lenin) is made of metal at the art casting factory, which was actually located in Mytishchi near Moscow. The enterprise, which was named after the Soviet sculptor Ekaterina Fedorovna Belashova, lasted until 2000, then it was declared bankrupt and closed. Later, the factory and several other buildings adjacent to it were demolished. Today, a shopping center has been built on this site.
The prototype of the Buryat monument, exhibited at the Montreal exhibition, was returned to the Soviet Union and installed in the homeland of Lenin - in the city of Ulyanovsk. This statue is still located on the territory of the automobile plant that produces the famous UAZ cars.
It is interesting that the current composition, although it is a copy of its exhibition predecessor, but, apparently, the sculptors brought some national flavor to it. Therefore, both local residents and visiting guests believe that the monument to Lenin (Ulan-Ude) is similar to the Buryats.
City legends and tales about the leader’s head
From the first days of the monument’s existence, a joke has been circulating among people that the city authorities allegedly couldn’t decide where Ilyich’s face should be addressed - to the House of Soviets or to the people. Then one of the officials had a dream where Lenin himself instructed: "Put your face to the people, and you, if necessary, I will see the back of my head."
Rumor has it that under the monument there are catacombs with secret passages leading outside the city so that the local elite can escape in the event of natural disasters or political upheavals.
At one time, a rumor swept through the city that Ilyich "got demons." The reason for this was a real case when a local public servant discovered three men drinking alcohol in a hatch located in the back of the monument. After the incident, the hatch intended for maintenance of the monument was brewed tightly.
