Central Museum of the Armed Forces of the USSR/Central Armed Forces Museum – Moscow

Posted on 29/06/2025 by Michael

Glory to the Soviet Union!

Central Museum of the Armed Forces of the USSR/Central Armed Forces Museum – Moscow

The main reason I wanted to go to the Central Museum of the Armed Forces of the USSR/Central Armed Forces Museum in Moscow was because I had learnt that it was there that the Nazi banners that had been thrown into the mud at the base of the Lenin Mausoleum (with Comrade Stalin accepting them on behalf of the Soviet people) on the first Victory Day on May 9th, 1945, were presently on display.

On my first visit to Moscow (way back in 1972) these banners were in a huge glass case which covered the whole floor of a room in what was then the Museum of the Revolution. This was up by Pushkin Square and close to the Izvestia offices. However, following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the chaos that followed in the 1990s anything which smacked of revolution was a no-no and that particular museum went through a number of manifestations. In the process much that had been on display pre-1990 disappeared and it is only relatively recently that some of it has begun to be, yet again, on display to the general public.

(What used to be the Museum of the Revolution is now called the Museum of the Modern History of Russia – Muzey Sovremennoy Istorii Rossii. Although there are some interesting and valuable artefacts which help in the telling of the history of the Soviet Union following the October Revolution it is generally a poor shadow of what it once was. The final section, ‘bringing things up to date’, is more like something you’d expect at an international exhibition than a museum.)

However, I think the Central Museum of the Armed Forces of the USSR/Central Armed Forces Museum has much more to offer than just the Nazi banners on the floor. There is a manner in which to display objects to show utter contempt for what they represent. From my memory that was achieved in the original location in the centre of the city but there’s less of that impression (to my mind) in their present location, even though they are still displayed in cases on the floor.

From my experience Russian museums are crammed full of artefacts. Sometimes so many that very soon you feel assaulted by so many different objects. That being the case the best approach is to ‘skim’ what you pass, taking more time on anything, perhaps more unusual, that might catch your eye.

The starting point in the first room is the War of Intervention or the Civil War. This was when the Red Army was formed, first out of Bolsheviks and irregulars who volunteered to defend the Revolution from the reactionaries, both national and international. However, within a very short time this army took on the aspects of a fully organised and structured army which eventually was able to defeat all attempts to strangle the Revolution from birth.

Later rooms go through the events of the Great Patriotic War and into later, sometimes not well chosen wars (such as that in Afghanistan) and through to the present with a small room dedicated to the Special Military Operation in the Ukraine.

In the slide show at the end of this post you will see that I have concentrated on the various banners and standards under which those fighting to defend the Revolution fought, as well as artistic representations of those battles and achievements. There’s a limited depiction of military hardware as, with a few exceptions, these are more or less generic and were used by all fighting forces in any particular epoch or conflict. I find what is unique to the Soviet Union (the way it presented itself; the battle of ideas through posters and other types of propaganda; and how the struggles were presented to the masses to be much more interesting.

In any visit to the museum here are a few suggestions of what to look out for;

the large bust of VI Lenin at the top of the stairs immediately facing the main entrance;
the whole wall covering mosaic on the wall on the first floor landing – depicting on the right the struggle to maintain the Revolution during the civil war into the 1920s and on the other the Great Patriotic War and the defeat of German invading Nazism;
the large painting in the second room (on the left had side on entering the room) which depicts the members of the Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party at the time of the October Revolution. This is an unusual way to present the individuals who were the leading cadres of the Revolution. I foolishly didn’t take note of the artist or when the painting was created but note Trotsky skulking at the extreme left hand side;
the many banners, representing factories and places of work, of the volunteers who went to fight against the Whites and the fourteen, intervening imperialist powers;
the propaganda posters produced by both sides in the conflict;
the machine gun fitted to the back of a horse drawn buggy;
the various sculptures demonstrating the unity of the workers and the peasants;
the make-shift armoured vehicles;
the multi-ethnic and multi-national extent of the revolutionary forces;
the distinctive uniform of the first Red Army;
the ceramic vase with an image of Joseph Stalin, Mikhail Frunze and other civil war military commanders;
the huge, wooden fist with the words ‘пролстарский кулак врагм ссср’ which translates as ‘the proletarian kulak is an enemy of the USSR’;
the images of VI Lenin and JV Stalin on the banners of the Great Patriotic War;
the porcelain statue of an embrace and a kiss;
images of heroism;
‘the battle in the rear’;
the Nazi standards on the floor in the Victory Room;
the Iron Crosses;
the shattered eagle that used to stand on top of the Reichstag in Berlin;
Hitler’s personal standard;
the image of Marshal Zhukov riding his horse over the Nazi standards in Red Square on May 9th 1945;
the fine bust of JV Stalin, together with his military dress uniform;
the shattered remains of the U2 American spy plane;
the Red Army and and women flanking the main entrance to the museum;

among much more.

Location;

Soviet Army Street, Moscow

GPS;

55.78503 N

36.61708 E

How to get there;

The museum is a little over a five minute walk from the Dostoyevskaya Metro station on the Line 10 (Green). Leave by the exit that leads to the Red Army Theatre. Go past the right hand side of the theatre and at the road junction/pedestrian crossing take the right, once on the other side go left and the museum is about 100 metres on the right.

VI Lenin in Stalingrad (Volgograd)

Posted on 02/06/2025 by Michael

VI Lenin in Moscow

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VI Lenin in Moscow

VI Lenin in Stalingrad

There are not as many existent statues of VI Lenin in Stalingrad (Volgograd) as in Moscow but they are relatively easily accessible by public transport and would fill a full day’s expedition for any VI Lenin statue/monument hunter.

Unfortunately, many of them have been neglected and are starting to show signs of ageing. Whether the ‘rehabilitation’ that is being seen in some parts of Russia of JV Stalin (witness the unveiling of the sculptural group in the Taganskaya Metro station in May 2025) will have an effect on other Soviet period monuments remains to be seen.

In Moscow, although some of the statues of Lenin had been relegated to the Muzeon Art Park (where, if you look, many have been placed so that Comrade Lenin has his back to the viewer – intentional I have no doubt), many still in place in residential areas have obviously had some care and attention – whether professional or not is open to question.

Nonetheless, below are listed those that I was able to identify and track down within a reasonable travelling distance from the city of Stalingrad. This includes the biggest statue of VI Lenin in the world – which is located at the entrance to the Volga-Don canal and which can be reached by a (very cheap) local bus ride from the city centre – followed by a short walk along the waterside.

All the location details are accurate to the best of my knowledge but apologise in advance if I have made any mistakes. If any readers have more information about these statues – sculptor, date of installation, or any other relevant details – I would appreciate being informed of such and that detail will be added to this post in order to provide as full a picture as possible of the installation.

It makes sense to start with, not only the biggest VI Lenin statue in Stalingrad but, the biggest VI Lenin statue in the world. This stands beside the River Volga, at the entrance to the Volga-Don Canal.

VI Lenin at the Volga-Don Canal

VI Lenin – Volga-Don Canal entrance

Location;

On the side of the River Volga about 500m from the first lock on the Volga-Don Canal

GPS;

48.527657 N

44.559116 E

How to get there;

Take the No. 15 bus from the bottom end of VI Lenina Avenue to Krasnoarmeyskiy City. Once you go over the bridge of the canal get off the bus (it does a bizarre manoeuvre before getting to the end of its route), cross the road and head through the park that runs alongside the beginning of the canal and the entry lock. The statue of VI Lenin is about a 10 minutes walk along this path in the direction of the river (east).

More information;

The statue of VI Lenin stands 27 metres high on a 30-metre pedestal. It was unveiled in 1973, replacing a previous statue of JV Stalin – that was removed in 1961. The sculptor was EV Vucetich, the same sculptor who created The Motherland Calls! on Mamayev Kurgan.

Petrov factory settlement

VI Lenin in Elektrolesovskaya Street

Location;

In the park opposite Elektrolesovskaya Street 45/10

GPS;

48.65917 N

44.44679 E

How to get there;

Bus No. 55, among others, from the city centre goes along the main road.

School No. 53

School Number 53

Location;

At the side of the main entrance to school No. 53 at Feodosiyskaya Ulitsa 55

GPS;

48.69911 N

44.45531 E

How to get there;

Buses 2, 22 and 88 from the bus station next to Volgograd I railway station will take you to the main road at the bottom of the hill. It’s then a walk up hill, through the local neighbourhood, to the school. A little bit of imagination might be necessary to get close to the statue if the school building is closed at the time of the visit.

Kirovskiy City Administration

Location;

In the square in front of the Kirovskiy City Administration building

GPS;

48.570630 N

44.445727 E

How to get there;

Take bus No. 55 or 15 from the bottom end of Avenida Lenina. The square is just a short walk along a side street across the road from the bus stop.

Further information;

There’s a lot going on in this small area – although it is sadly in a state of neglect. The administration building is no longer being used as it was designed and this means it is on the outskirts of the community. However, as it contains the town’s War Memorial I’m slightly surprised more care has not been spent on the location.

But in this (I’m sure, at one time, a very busy) square some of the history of the locale has been recorded;

the statue of VI Lenin;

a small War Memorial to those of the town who gave their lives in the Great Patriotic War, with the names and the pictures of some from the area who were killed either in the Battle of Stalingrad or elsewhere on the front in the war against Nazism;

a plaque commemorating the visit of Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, in June 1930;

a bas relief of VI Lenin, which was installed beside the large gate in November 1930, commemorating the connection of the town to the electricity network, a result of Lenin’s call for the electrification of the whole country.

Rayon Krasny

Location;

VI Lenina Avenue 22, Rayon Krasny

GPS;

48.75894 N

44.55350 E

How to get there;

Metro Ulitsa 39th Gvardeyskoy Divizli is a short walk away. The bust, on its plinth, is in a small garden in the middle of a housing development. This is located off the smaller road running parallel to, and just to the north of, the main VI Lenina Avenue.

VI Lenin in Zavod Barrikady

Zavod Barrikady

Location;

At the top of the steps, from the main road, in Germana Titova Square.

GPS;

48.77766 N

44.57458 E

How to get there;

The statue is directly across the road form the Zavod Barrikady Metro stop.

VI Lenin in the main post office in Stalingrad

Stalingrad Post Office

Location;

Stalingrad Main Post Office, Ulitsa Mira, 9

GPS;

48.709544º N

44.514978º E

How to get there;

The post office is a short walk from Volgograd Railway Station No. 1

Blog post: Statue of VI Lenin – Main Post Office – Stalingrad

VI Lenin in Lenin Square

Lenin Statue

Location;

VI Lenina Avenue, 32

GPS;

48.7166934° N

44.5303396° E

DMS;

48°42′59.42″ N

44°31′49.29″ E

How to get there;

The entrance/exit of the Ploshchad Lenina Metro station is right at the square. Also any bus heading in the direction of Mamayev Kurgan, from the centre of town, passes by the square. The square is also on the way to the Stalingrad Panorama Museum, the Stalingrad Siege Museum.

Blog post; Lenin Square – Stalingrad

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VI Lenin in Moscow

The North River Terminal – Moscow

Posted on 11/05/2025 by Michael

North River Terminal – Entrance Hall

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The North River Terminal – Moscow

The North River Terminal in Moscow has reopened [in 2020] after two years of reconstruction. Dubbed ‘the river gates of Moscow’, it was the main gateway for travellers to the Caspian, Azov, White, Black and Baltic seas via the Volga and Don Rivers [and for this reason was also called the ‘Five Seas Port’]. It is also one of the first built in the Stalinist Empire style in 1937. [Other examples of this architectural style can be found on this page, specifically the ‘Seven Sisters’.] Architects Alexei Rukhlyadev and Vladimir Krinsky [don’t know where he comes into it as his name doesn’t appear on the official plaque on the wall at the riverside entrance – although he gets referenced on various architectural website] created a real Soviet masterpiece: from a distance, it looks like a huge ship, crowned with a 27-meter spire (together with it, the building reaches 75 meters in height).

After the fall of the USSR, the building and the park around it fell into disrepair, however, in 2018, authorities decided to revive it and in early September 2020, the River Terminal reopened after a two-year reconstruction. And it looks amazing!

The building has returned [to] its original look: the columns and halls have been restored, including mosaics with Soviet symbols.

Outside, the façade is decorated with historical medallions with various ideological themes, such as the country’s main constructions, Moscow metro trains, the development of the Arctic and big ships.

All of its 17 piers have also been repaired and now the Terminal will be able to receive up to 24 ships a day. Moscow officials said they expect 1.5 million tourists during the navigation season.

From here, you’ll be able to take a cruise to St. Petersburg, Yaroslavl, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Astrakhan, Volgograd, Kostroma, Saratov and even Valaam.

….

On the roof, there’s now an observation desk with a panoramic view of the Khimki reservoir.

….

Soviet fountains and navy-themed sculptures were restored in the park around the Terminal.

Text above from Moscow’s Stalinist Empire-style North River Terminal opens after large-scale renovation

The medallions that flank the columns of the entrance on both sides of the terminal are created for the passenger either about to leave or arriving in Moscow. Those which passengers on their way to their ship for other parts of the country are faced with those sort of images they will encounter on their journey. So we have images of various types of ships they might encounter (remember the building was constructed in the late 1930s) as well as an image of the entrance of the Volga canal (complete with a statue of Comrade Stalin).

The Volga Canal

For those who are arriving in Moscow there are images of Red Square; the Lenin Mausoleum; the Red Army Theatre (although I haven’t been able to confirm if it ever had a statue on the top); the Mayakovsky Metro station; the never built Palace of the Soviets, which was planned to have a huge statue of VI Lenin standing on the top, as well as representations of industry and even war production.

The Palace of the Soviets

Also to note are the three emblems of what used to be the Latvian, Estonian and Lithuanian Soviet Republics. They are depicted high up on the walls of the entrance hall but I doubt there are any departures to those locations at the moment – or for the foreseeable future. It must be said, however, that the Soviet emblems are much more attractive than the ones they presently use to represent their countries.

Architects;

Alexei Rukhlyadev

(possibly) Vladimir Krinsky

Sculptors;

IS Efimov

LA Kardashov

Artists;

N Ya Danko

AI Shcherbakov

Location;

51, Leningradskoye Highway

GPS;

55°51′03.93″ N

37°28′00.94″ E

How to get there;

The nearest Metro station is Rechnoy Vokzal (which means ‘River Station’) on the northern part of Line 2. The terminal is about a ten minute walk from the station.

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