Iron Felix: Remembering a Bolshevik Revolutionary

A statue of Felix Dzerzhinsky or Iron Felix, a Bolshevik revolutionary and founder of the Cheka, the predecessor of the KGB, had its erstwhile location on Lubyanskaya Ploshchad until 1991.



The famous sculpture, created by artist Yevgeny Vuchetich, was erected in 1958 across from the then-headquarters of the Soviet KGB on the square, which was at that time named after Dzerzhinsky. The sculpture and the iconic KGB building became a symbol of the Soviet security services, and the monument was torn down after the failure of the 1991 attempted putsch against Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.



After its removal, the statue was given to the City of Moscow and eventually erected in the Muzeon sculpture park, alongside many other famous Soviet monuments. Since 2000, there have been five attempts to restore the statue, all of which have met with popular opposition and protests.



According to polling conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Center, or VTsIOM, about 45 percent of Russians support restoring the monument to its former location, while only 25 percent were opposed.



See our previous Photo Gallery:

Moscow Exhibition Honors Tatar Culture