Ever wondered why Sassnitz, a seemingly quiet town on the Baltic Sea, has a Lenin-Denkmal? This monument marks a pivotal moment in history. It commemorates Lenin’s journey in 1917. He was returning from exile to lead the Russian Revolution.
In April 1917, Lenin boarded a train from Zurich. This train traversed Germany to reach Sassnitz. Germany hoped that Lenin would further weaken Russia. Lenin then boarded a ferry to Sweden. His destination was Petrograd, now St. Petersburg. Seven months later, Lenin seized power. The communist Soviet Union was born. The rest is history.
Sassnitz, after World War II, became part of the GDR. It transformed into a prominent “Lenin City”. The city featured a Leninplatz, Leninstraße, a Leninschool, and of course this Lenin-Denkmal.
This Lenin-Denkmal was erected in 1962. It celebrated Lenin’s historic journey. In 1977, a small Lenin museum opened here. However, after reunification, the museum closed. The wagon purportedly used by Lenin disappeared. But the red granite block of the Lenin-Denkmal remained.
Initially, the Lenin-Denkmal stood before the Seemannsheim “John Scher”. Today that building is the Kurhotel Sassnitz. Now, the Lenin-Denkmal is located on a small hill near the harbor. It offers a great view of the sea.
For years, the Lenin-Denkmal was easy to miss. Time and weather made the inscription illegible. But for the centennial of the October Revolution, a local stonemason renovated it. The inscription is now readable again. It states: “Wlamidir Ilyich Lenin returned in 1917 from his emigration via Sassnitz to lead the great socialist October Revolution to Russia.” An information panel detailing Lenin’s 1917 route was added too.
Interestingly, Sassnitz once had two more Lenin figures. A bust unveiled in 1970 is now stored in a municipal depot. Also, a relief of Lenin was part of the Memorial to the Victims of Fascism.
So, here stands the Lenin-Denkmal. It is a testament to a journey that changed the world. It serves as a reminder of a complex history. It is a story etched in stone, here in Sassnitz.