Lenin's Mausoleum Monument

Address: Lenin’s Mausoleum, Red Square, Moscow, Russia

Admission: Free (no general admission)

Lenin’s Mausoleum is a memorial and tomb on Moscow’s Red Square that contains the embalmed body of Vladimir Lenin. It has served as a public display and pilgrimage site since the 1920s and is adjacent to the Kremlin wall.

The structure presents a stepped, geometrical façade and leads to a dimly lit viewing chamber where visitors pass past the preserved body. Entry is controlled and the building functions both as a memorial and a state-maintained site.

Following Lenin’s death in January 1924, a temporary structure was first erected and later replaced by the present stone mausoleum designed by architect Alexey Shchusev; it has undergone maintenance and restoration over the decades. The mausoleum became a focal point of Soviet ceremonial and public remembrance.

The mausoleum stands on Red Square in central Moscow, directly in front of the Kremlin wall and near St Basil’s Cathedral and the State Historical Museum.

• On display since 1924: Constructed soon after Vladimir Lenin’s death in 1924, the mausoleum displays his embalmed body in a climate-controlled chamber and has been a public site since the 1920s.
• Visitor restrictions: Located on Red Square, the site is subject to strict security checks, occasional closures and rules prohibiting photography inside the viewing chamber.

Lenin’s Mausoleum is on Red Square in central Moscow. The site is an easy walk from nearby metro stations such as Ploshchad Revolyutsii and Okhotny Ryad (both within about 5-10 minutes on foot), and from the Kremlin and Manezhnaya Square. Moscow’s central rail terminals (e.g., Leningradsky/Kazansky/Yaroslavsky at Komsomolskaya) connect to the metro network for onward travel.

• Arrive at opening to minimize queueing on Red Square - the mausoleum is only open for a short window each day and queues grow quickly.
• Expect strict security: bag checks and metal detectors are enforced, photography inside is forbidden, and visitors must move quietly and continuously through the hall.
• Confirm opening days and times before you go (closures occur for state events and maintenance) and plan to be respectful and silent while inside to follow local rules.