5 little-known facts about Lenin's Mausoleum

1. The first mausoleums were wooden

The tomb for the "leader of the world proletariat" was constructed just a few days after his death. Unveiled on January 27, 1924, the wooden crypt was initially considered temporary.

That same year, it was replaced with a new one – larger and more majestic, made of oak and painted olive green. However, this, too, proved to be a temporary solution, because, in 1929, it was replaced with the granite one we see today.

2. The mausoleum could have looked like an Egyptian pyramid

Soviet authorities announced an international competition for the design of a permanent mausoleum back in 1925. More than 100 proposals were received. The most original included a tomb in the shape of a five-pointed star, a ship with a figure of the leader on board and an Egyptian pyramid.

However, these designs did not fit with the historical appearance of the Red Square. So, they settled on a design by architect Alexei Shchusev, who had actually also worked on the first wooden buildings.

3. During World War II, the mausoleum was disguised as a residential building and the leader's body was removed

A few days after the German invasion of the USSR began, authorities decided to evacuate Lenin's body from the capital. On July 3, 1941, it was secretly transported to Tyumen. The empty mausoleum, meanwhile, was disguised as a two-story residential building – a metal frame was erected over it and covered with a canvas with painted windows and doors.

4. Stalin's body was placed in the mausoleum next to Lenin's for eight years

The sarcophagus containing Stalin's body was installed in the mausoleum on March 9, 1953, four days after his death. The inscription "Lenin" on the façade was followed by "Stalin".

In 1956, Nikita Khrushchev initiated the debunking of Stalin's personality cult and talk of his reburial began. On the night of November 1, 1961, his body was secretly removed from the mausoleum and buried near the Kremlin wall and the inscription was removed from the building. KGB Chairman Vladimir Semichastny reported to his superiors that "there was no noticeable public reaction [to this]".

5. The mausoleum & sarcophagus had been subjected to dozens of attempts to destroy or desecrate

The mausoleum has survived about a dozen sabotage attempts: ink and Molotov cocktails were thrown at it, while the sarcophagus inside had been repeatedly kicked and hit with hammers. In 1967 and 1973, improvised explosive devices managed to be detonated inside the building, killing several visitors. Therefore, after this, the sarcophagus was made bulletproof.