A monument to Lenin in Novogrudok

Monuments to Vladimir Ilyich Lenin are set in different corners of the world. One of these monuments is in Novogrudok of Grodno region in the Republic of Belarus. The population of the oldest town is about thirty thousand people. The name of the settlement originates from the phrase “new town”. It is considered that the town was founded in the 11th century.  However, excavations of the 1960-ies proved that there were settlements in the 9-11thcenturies. They had trading relations with Byzantium, Scandinavia and other groups of countries. That's why there are lots of interesting attractions worthy of the attention of travelers: temples, museums, monuments.

Ancient Novogrudok has also a model monument to Lenin. The bust of the leader stands on a stone pedestal. They still paint portraits from such busts in art schools. Masterfully sculpted facial features allow successfully conveying the chiaroscuro. Perhaps, in this sculpture, Lenin is depicted a little more severe than he was in real life. In 2009, the monument was doused with paint.  It happened in the night from 6 to 7 November, and probably was timed to the Day of the Great October revolution. Fortunately, such events happen in the country very rare, but anti-Soviet sentiment sometimes exists. Someone says that it is necessary to demolish typical monuments to Lenin but other citizens still have a positive opinion about the USSR and prominent Soviet leaders. We live here and now feeling that only this is reality, but many think that the Soviet world is boring and uninteresting, but it is not so. Years will pass and monuments to Lenin will become unusual and significant sights. It is necessary to study and analyze any stage of history, especially if it is the history of your country. Objects, which now are seemed for many people pointless rubbish, will certainly be of great cultural value after some time. Let's give an opportunity to the next generations to touch history, to see how our parents and grandparents lived. We should preserve, but not destroy. We should appreciate, but not demolish.  

There is another monument to Lenin in the town. It is located on Lucy Sechko Street, named after a Soviet partisan. This sculpture depicts Lenin to his full height: he holds a scroll in one hand, the palm of the other one is open. His thoughtful eyes look in the distance. The sculptor was Nikolaj Ivanovich Shilnikov who was born in 1893 in Kirov (Vyatki). N. I. Shilnikov created that monument in the postwar period. In local circles, such his works are known as “Lenin with a tubule”, because the leader of the people was depicted by Shilnikov with a scroll in his hand.

If tourists have a chance to visit this wonderful town with a centuries-old history and picturesque views, then you should see all the sights – whether it is a medieval building, or a monument to the Soviet figure.