Europe's last Lenin museum to close in Finland

HELSINKI

Europe's last Lenin museum, located in Finland, will soon close, a move that has spurred conspiracy theories in Russia, the museum's director said on Oct. 30.

Of the handful museums dedicated to former Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin established across Europe in the 20th century, the Finnish Lenin museum in the city of Tampere, founded in 1946, is the last one remaining.

However, the museum, housed in the building where Lenin and Stalin's first met during a secret Bolshevik gathering in 1905, will close its doors on Nov. 3 to be revamped.

Director of the museum Kalle Kallio told AFP the decision to close the museum had been made as the name failed to "reflect the story we want to convey."

"Some people believe this is some kind of an evil temple because of its name," he said.

While the state-funded museum shifted its focus from Lenin's life story to Soviet history in 2016 and is not in any way linked to the Russian state, the name had "become a burden" especially after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Kallio explained.

"We have a lot of visitors, but not for example schools, since teachers don't want to ask parents if they can take children here," he said.

According to Kallio, the decision to rename the Lenin Museum has spurred misunderstandings and fueled conspiracy theories in neighboring Russia, which Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer border with.

"In Russia, news has spread claiming this is another unfriendly act by Finland after we joined NATO, and that the decision was actually made in Washington," he said.

The museum will reopen under the name "Nootti" (Note in English) in February 2025, and will focus on how Finnish-Russian relations have evolved in the 20th and 21st century.