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The last Lenin museum in Western Europe has closed in Finland
It was founded in 1946 by the Soviet-Finnish Association in Tampere. Instead, the Nutti Museum will host an exhibition on the political history and relations between Finland and Russia.
On Sunday, November 3, Finland closed the only Lenin Museum in the West. It was located in the city of Tampere in the building of the workers' house. In the early 1900s, when Finland was part of the Russian Empire, secret meetings of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party were held here. It is believed that Vladimir Lenin first met Joseph Stalin here in 1905. In December 1917, Lenin signed a decree on the national independence of Finland.
The Lenin Museum was opened by the Soviet-Finnish Association on January 20, 1946, the anniversary of Lenin's death. The museum's exhibition covers both Lenin's biography and the history of the Soviet Union. The museum's closure and dissolution was announced in April. The museum's director explained at the time that the old name no longer corresponded to the museum's content and was misleading and misleading to visitors.
— The museum was interesting, the exhibits were very interesting, the exhibits were unique. Of course, it existed and still exists. They will probably end up in someone’s warehouse. In most cases, some of them will be stored in national museums, while others may end up in private collections. But it was very interesting to look at, because everything was under one roof. There were also interesting programs and changing exhibitions. In short, it was disappointing. The museums were private, not state-owned, and they existed on money received from visitors. It received some state support, but it was not very significant, and I think that from next year, state funding will be cut. Because everything related to culture is being cut, funding for all museums is being cut. To be cut. We are even talking about closing the largest open-air museums. This is a museum with a collection of buildings, including those brought from Lapland. Usually, these are unique buildings that can be found in various areas. There is also talk about the fact that some museums will have to switch to self-financing.
— What is known about the owner of the museum?
— It was an organization called the Lenin Museum Support Fund. — The museum was interesting, the exhibits were very interesting, the exhibits were unique. Of course, it existed and still exists. They will probably end up in someone's warehouse. In most cases, some of them will be stored in national museums, and others may end up in private collections. But it was very interesting to look at because everything was under one roof. There were also interesting programs and changing exhibitions. In short, it is disappointing. The museums were private, not state-owned, and existed on money received from visitors. It was allocated some state support, but it was not very significant, and I think that from next year, state funding will be cut. Because everything related to culture is being cut, funding for all museums is being cut. To be cut. We are even talking about closing the largest open-air museums. This is a museum with a collection of buildings, including those brought from Lapland. Usually these are unique buildings that can be found in various areas. We also talk about the need for some museums to become self-financing. - It was an organization called the Lenin Museum Support Fund.
The new Nuti Museum is planned to open in February 2025 on the site of the Lenin Museum. The exhibition will focus on the relations and history of the two countries, from the Russian Revolution and Finnish independence in 1917 to the republic's accession to NATO.
In 2023, the Helsinki City Council announced a decision to rename Lenin Park. Finnish authorities have also moved Lenin statues from the streets to museums in Turku and Kotka.