VI Lenin in Bender – Pridnestrovie

There are two statues of Lenin in Bender, the ‘border’ town between Pridnestrovie and Moldova – and the principal entry point between Tiraspol and Chisinau.

The first one is on the edge of Komsomol Park on Strada Lenina, about 400m west of the Central Market. This was completed in 1951 and was the work of Sergey Merkulov (sculptor), and V. Mednek (architect). Merkulov was also the creator of the seated VI Lenin in Tverskaya Square in Moscow.

Although the statue is in a good condition the plinth is starting to show signs of wear and could do with some attention. However, the general area seems to be kept tidy, with roses being tended in the flower garden in front of the plinth.

GPS;

46.82535 N

29.47594 E

VI Lenin outside a shoe factory

The second statue is just a few minutes walk away being behind the Gorky cinema, in front of a small building which is now a shoe factory. Don’t know if it held that function when the statue was installed. Unfortunately, to date – and which is not uncommon – I have no further information on the sculptor or when it was first inaugurated.

This is also in a good condition although the surroundings outside of a factory are not as luxurious as those of a well tended public park.

VI Lenin at Transnistrian Government Building, Tiraspol

VI Lenin in Tiraspol, Pridnestrovie

There are two extant images of VI Lenin in Tiraspol, the capital city of Pridnestrovie (Transnistria).

At the Transnistria Parliament Building

The first Soviet leader just seems to emerge from the tall, red, granite column on which he stands. His coat resembling the workers red flag, caught by the wind streaming out behind him.

This statue is modelled on a statue, by the same artist – Nikolai Tomsky – which used to stand in what was Leninplatz in East Berlin. The original statue was erected in 1970 but the one in Tiraspol wasn’t inaugurated until 1987. The one in Berlin was on a lower plinth and had a large panel behind VI Lenin so there wasn’t the same impression of him almost flying. The one in the German location was removed in 1992.

The list of the artists involved in the project are attached to a small plaque at the back of the statues plinth.

Nikolai Tomsky was also involved in the bas reliefs that decorate the ceiling of the Novokuznetskaya Metro station in Moscow. He also created the bust over the grave of JV Stalin which was installed when the body of the second Soviet leader was removed from the Lenin Mausoleum in October 1961.

Location;

In front of the building of the Supreme Council of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (Transnistria Parliament) at 25th October Street 45

GPS;

46.83632 N

29.60651 E

VI Lenin at Tiraspol City Hall

At the Tiraspol City Hall

Unfortunately, there’s not a great deal of available information about this monument to VI Lenin. As far as I can learn the sculptor was G. Solominov but, so far, I have been unable to find any more information about him. There’s also no information of the year it was installed. I would guess the 1980s – as this seemed to be a time when there was a major impetus to install statues of the first Soviet leader as the revisionist leaders of that time – just before the collapse of the Soviet Union – were panicking and trying to establish their legitimacy.

It’s quite a unique representation of VI Lenin. It’s only a larger than life sized bust but he is depicted as wearing an overcoat with a huge collar – something I’ve never seen in photographs of him during his life time.