The Giant Lenin head of Ulan Ude
This massive glowering Lenin head gazes out over eastern Siberia
Every leader leaves behind a of trail of monuments named after them: foundations, schools, statues, and so on. Of course the biggest and the best almost always belonged to the most iron-fisted ruler. There seems to be a direct connection between the authoritarianism of the ruler and the size of the statues erected in their honor.
Though the fascists had some, it was the communist countries that were always the very best at this. Some of course have been removed after the fall of communism (in the case of the Budapest Stalin statue leaving only boots behind) but others have carried on, as is the case with the Ulan Ude Lenin head.
Lenin, who is much better remembered (and for good reason) than Stalin or the other communist leaders, is immortalized in this Siberia city, (home to some 359,391 residents and the major center of Russian Buddhism) in the largest version of his head ever created! Built in 1970, for the centennial of Lenin’s birth, the colossal bronze head towers some 7.7 meters (25 feet) tall over the main city square, and weighs 42 tons. The bronze head has avoided the patina associated with Bronze via a special coating on the metal, and is
common “meeting place and a traditional wedding photo spot for local couples.”
Locally it is also known as “the world’s biggest Jewish head” though not for reasons based in prejudice, but rather because each winter when snow falls on the head it sticks to the top creating what appears to be a sort of snow-yarmulke.
Read more about The Giant Lenin head of Ulan Ude on Atlas Obscura…
Category: Unusual Monuments, Strange Statues
Location: Ulan-Ude, Russia
Edited by: Dylan, Kiri_the_Unicorn