Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Ambuluwawa Tower
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
Hesperus Mountain.
Hesperus Mountain
Miniature Collection at Museo del Pueblo de Guanajuato
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
U.S. Air Force Capt. Samuel “RaZZ” Larson, F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team commander, passes over the flight line at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, July 9, 2024
Who Swarmed Langley Air Force Base With Drones?
Our producer Manolo Morales would spend his final days perusing the shelves at Book Off.
Where Would You Go to Wait for the Apocalypse?
This event showcasing the bounty of the Traverse City region’s amazing agriculture, craft, and creativity culminates with a Grand Tasting on August 23.
The Atlas Obscura Guide to Traverse City’s Event Season
She’ll get you and your little dog too.
Dear Atlas: Where Can I Explore Witch History Without the Kitsch?

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Finland Tampere Lenin Museum

Lenin Museum

The last permanent exhibit dedicated to the Soviet leader.

Tampere, Finland

Added By
Jaszmina Szendrey
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Statue of Lenin at the museum in Tampere.   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
Lenin’s death mask.   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
Exhibits in the museum.   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
Direction to the Lenin Museum   Andrew Olsen / Atlas Obscura User
Statue of Lenin Outside Museum Doors   Andrew Olsen / Atlas Obscura User
Plaque Outside - Hämeenpuisto 28 Tampere, Finland   Andrew Olsen / Atlas Obscura User
This photo is not from this location and can be removed.   daynix / Atlas Obscura User
Part of the new exhibition in 2017  
Museum shop in the new Lenin-museum   Olli-Pekka Latvala
Selfie-spot with life-sized Lenin and Stalin   Olli-Pekka Latvala
  daynix / Atlas Obscura User
Entrance to the Lenin Museum   Andrew Olsen / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

During the mid-20th century, a handful of museums dedicated to Vladimir Lenin could be seen around Europe, but the only permanent Lenin museum that remains today is the one in Tampere, Finland.

The location of the small museum is especially significant: It's situated in the Tampere Workers' Hall, the very same place where Lenin and Stalin met for the first time in a secret meeting of the Bolsheviks in December 1905. The building hosted underground meetings of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party in 1905 and 1906. It was here that Lenin and Stalin started planning a revolution which later changed world history.

After the signed peace treaty between Finland and the USSR in 1944, the political climate in Finland changed and began favoring friendly relations between the countries. Accordingly, the Finland-Soviet Society was founded. The Tampere branch of the society took the initiative of establishing a Lenin Museum in this hall.

The idea received widespread support among politicians, as they considered improving the post-war relations between the countries an essential task. Stalin was also pleased about the museum. The endorsement from him greatly increased the initiative’s prestige and significance. The museum became a politically vital project in the improvement of Finno-Soviet relations.

The Lenin Museum was opened on January 20, 1946, a day before the 22nd anniversary of Lenin’s death. It was the first museum dedicated to Lenin outside the Soviet Union. Unlike other Lenin museums, it was not operated by a Communist party. It's possible to get a grasp of the political significance of the museum by looking at the list of Soviet leaders who visited the museum during the Cold War. In 2014 the Lenin Museum became a part of the Finnish Labour Museum Werstas.

At present, the space has a permanent exhibition with materials related to Lenin's life, the rise and fall of the Soviet Union, and the shared past of the two countries. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the museum underwent a complete renovation to show a more comprehensive picture of Soviet rule. A scaled model of Stalin’s gulag camp reminds visitors of the years of terror whereas a Soviet joke jukebox will make them laugh. The wax figures of Stalin and Lenin offer a good spot for photos.

Related Tags

Soviet History Lenin Communism Museums And Collections Museums History

Community Contributors

Added By

Jaszmina Szendrey

Edited By

Andrew Olsen, daynix

  • Andrew Olsen
  • daynix

Published

August 22, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.saatchigallery.com/museums/museum-profile/The+Lenin+Museum/4466.html
  • https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2017/0108/In-Finland-a-one-time-shrine-to-Lenin-adopts-an-uncensored-view
  • http://www.academia.edu/11237846/The_Finnish-Soviet_Society_From_Political_to_Cultural_Connections
  • https://www.spottinghistory.com/view/178/lenin-museum/
Lenin Museum
28 Hämeenpuisto
Tampere
Finland
61.495663, 23.75202
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Tampere Cathedral Frescoes

Tampere, Finland

miles away

Tree Mountain

Ylöjärvi, Finland

miles away

Pirunpesä (The Devil's Nest)

Nokia, Finland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Tampere

Tampere

Finland

Places 2

Nearby Places

Tampere Cathedral Frescoes

Tampere, Finland

miles away

Tree Mountain

Ylöjärvi, Finland

miles away

Pirunpesä (The Devil's Nest)

Nokia, Finland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Tampere

Tampere

Finland

Places 2

Related Places

  • A bust of Lenin made from sugar.

    Moscow, Russia

    Lenin Museum

    One of the last examples of Soviet architectural propaganda has a few technological tricks up its sleeve.

  • Museum Uranbergbau exterior.

    Bad Schlema, Germany

    Museum Uranbergbau

    Learn the incredible story of how an unassuming spa town was transformed into one of the world’s largest uranium mining sites.

  • Confinement cell.

    Vilnius, Lithuania

    Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights

    This former KGB building is now a museum memorializing the people who suffered during the Soviet regime.

  • Saint Petersburg, Russia

    Lenin's Hut

    A replica of the straw hut where Vladimir Lenin lived in hiding, disguised as a hay farmer, in 1917.

  • Poledník lookout tower.

    Prášily, Czechia

    Poledník Lookout Tower

    A Cold War secret surveillance tower used to spy on radio communications.

  • Gruta, Lithuania

    Grūtas Park

    Open-air museum with a large collection of Soviet-era statues.

  • Sofia, Bulgaria

    The Red Flat

    An interactive museum-like experience takes visitors back to 1980s Communist Bulgaria.

  • One of the galleries in the modern section of the Manchester Jewish Museum.

    Manchester, England

    Manchester Jewish Museum

    A Victorian synagogue-turned-museum chronicles centuries of Jewish life.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.