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Finland closes the West’s last Lenin Museum after 80 years

Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Trogain
The museum had become seen as controversial following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Trogain
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The last museum outside of Russia dedicated to Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin has closed its doors after nearly 80 years of operation.

The Lenin Museum, located in the same building where Lenin first met Joseph Stalin during a secret Bolshevik meeting in Tampere, southern Finland, attracted more than 1,000 visitors over the weekend after offering free admission to view exhibits on Lenin’s life and the impact of the Soviet Union.

Established in 1946, the museum had become increasingly seen as controversial following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with many people being put off visiting.

Museum director Kalle Kallio said shifting geopolitical dynamics, including Finland’s recent entry into NATO and heightened border tensions with Russia, had prompted the decision to close.

He said: “Finland’s foreign policy has evolved, especially since Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

“The times have changed drastically.”

In place of the Lenin Museum, a new institution called “Nooti,” which translates as “note” in Finnish, is set to open in February and will focus on Finland’s complex diplomatic relations with its eastern neighbor, highlighting key historical moments from the 1917 Russian Revolution to the present.
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