Lenin Monument at the House of Soviets (Orenburg)

The monument to V. I. Lenin stands by the House of Soviets in central Orenburg, on Lenin Square near M. Fadeeva Street. It is a 13-metre granite monument by the sculptor Veniamin Borisovich Pinchuk, unveiled in 1963, and one of the main Soviet-era monuments of the Orenburg region.

History

The Lenin monument in Orenburg was unveiled on 22 April 1963, Lenin's birthday. Its author, the sculptor V. B. Pinchuk, received a silver medal of the USSR Academy of Arts for the work. The granite monument is 13 metres high.

It was conceived as part of the House of Soviets ensemble and held a key place in the layout of the square. Behind the statue a rectangular pool was built, lined with benches. This was something new for Orenburg at the time, and the landscaped, green square soon became a favourite place to relax for locals and visitors alike.

Rebuilding of the square

The original composition did not last long. In the late 1960s the landscaping began to be dismantled: construction of the Agroprom building started on the site of the pool that complemented the monument. In 1975 work began on a 16-storey building directly in front of the Lenin monument. The statue lost the open space before it, and much of the original idea of the square at the House of Soviets was lost.

Legends and accounts

A story told in Orenburg has it that the plant room of the fountain by the House of Soviets lies in the basement of a cathedral that once stood here and was demolished. There is no documentary evidence for this, and it is best taken as a local legend.

Good to know

The monument survives and remains a landmark of central Orenburg, although the surrounding buildings have changed the look of the square considerably since the 1960s. It is easy to find: it stands by the House of Soviets, near M. Fadeeva Street. It is worth noticing how the monument relates to the buildings around it: it shows clearly how the square changed, from the open ensemble of the 1960s with its pool to the dense development of the 1970s, when the Agroprom building and the 16-storey block rose nearby.