While hundreds of his bronze and stone counterparts were torn down or banished to distant museums after 1989, Resident Lenin never left his post in Novgrad, Bulgaria. Saved by local residents who chose to keep their familiar landmark, this statue has transitioned from a political symbol to a permanent member of the community. Standing casually with his hand tucked into his pocket among the lush green trees, he no longer looks like a stern revolutionary commander but rather like a neighbor who simply refuses to move out.

The bronze statue was unveiled in 1975. The idea was already discussed by the villagers in the 1960s. At that time, the local collective farm, known as the TKZS, carried Lenin’s name. The statue was paid for by the people of Novgrad. During the socialist period, people paid a small local tax called self-taxation. About two percent of their wages went to the local budget. Part of this money helped pay for the monument.

Boris Karadzha

The statue was made by Boris Karadzha, a Romanian sculptor with Bulgarian roots. Karadzha was born in Balchik in 1906 and studied sculpture in Bucharest. He became a well-known monument sculptor in Romania. He also made a Lenin monument in Bucharest and the Lenin monument in the nearby city of Ruse.

The Novgrad statue is almost a copy of the one in Ruse. The Ruse statue was removed after the fall of communism in 1989. The Lenin in Novgrad survived.

Why was it not removed?

The answer is surprisingly simple. Local people wanted to keep it. After 1989, many communist monuments across Bulgaria were removed. In Novgrad, however, residents saw the statue as part of the village’s history. They also noticed that visitors stopped to see it and take photographs.

There was even an offer from a Finnish businessman in the 1990s. He reportedly offered about $27,000 to buy the statue and move it to Helsinki. The villagers refused.

There is another unusual detail. The land under the monument is now privately owned. It was returned to the original owners after the fall of communism. The owner’s heir paid the municipality back the money once received for the land. She then agreed to leave the statue in place.

A local attraction

Today, the Lenin statue is treated more as a piece of local history and a tourist attraction than as a political monument. The municipality even lists it as a tourist site, although its official documents say that historical records about the monument are missing.

In 2024, there was again discussion about removing communist monuments in Bulgaria. Residents of Novgrad said they wanted their Lenin to stay. For them, the statue has become part of the identity of the village. That is why Lenin still stands in Novgrad, nearly 50 years after his statue was unveiled.