Lenin’s Mausoleum on Red Square in Moscow, a site of historical significance and ongoing debate, is set to close for a two-year restoration period. The decision has sparked renewed discussion about the future of Lenin’s body, with some advocating for burial. The mausoleum has been a fixture in Moscow for nearly a century, surviving significant political and social changes.

In recent days, the mausoleum has experienced increased visitor traffic as people rush to view Lenin’s body before the closure. The restoration project, contracted by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, is estimated to cost 19.6 million rubles. The specific start date for the restoration is yet to be announced.

The mausoleum has a complex history. Initially, after Lenin’s death in 1924, there was no plan to embalm his body. However, due to the overwhelming public desire to pay their respects, a temporary solution was implemented. Pathologist Alexei Abrikosov performed a temporary embalming, and the body was placed in a sarcophagus. Later, doctors developed an experimental method of long-term embalming, which allowed for the preservation of the body for decades.

The first mausoleum was constructed in just three days. It was followed by a second, more durable wooden structure. In 1929, construction began on the granite mausoleum that stands today. During World War II, Lenin’s body was evacuated to Tyumen and kept in conditions similar to those in the mausoleum.

For a period after Joseph Stalin’s death in 1953, his body was also placed in the mausoleum next to Lenin’s. However, in 1961, Stalin’s body was removed and buried at the Kremlin wall.

Since 1991, a team of biomedical scientists at the All-Russian Institute of Medicinal Plants (VILAR) has been responsible for maintaining Lenin’s body, performing regular re-embalming and restoration work.