Ploshchad Lenina

Northern European Russia


The circular pl Lenina is the original heart of neoclassical Petrozavodsk, skirted by matching semicircular buildings built in 1784. In its centre is a 1933 statue of Lenin. Steps pass an eternal flame into the pretty riverside park, from where a bridge crosses to the surprisingly grand facade of the former Alexandrovskiy Ironworks, now part of the vast Onezhskiy Tractor Factory.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Northern European Russia attractions

1. Museum of Regional Studies

0.08 MILES

Besides exhibitions on trade between Russia's north and the Byzantine world, the history of the city and regional trades, this excellent museum (with…

2. Statue of Yury Andropov

0.12 MILES

Unveiled to protests and arrests in 2005, a youthful statue of Yury Andropov commemorates the USSR’s 1982–84 supremo and chief of Petrozavodsk’s Komsomol …

3. Onezhskiy Tractor Factory

0.21 MILES

One of the oldest factories in Russia, this strikingly grand building first opened for business in 1703.

4. Fine Arts Museum

0.54 MILES

Besides the permanent exhibitions that feature medieval icons, and folk art such as embroidery, weaving and birch-bark creations, there's a collection of…

5. Lakeside Promenade

0.62 MILES

On a fine summer's day, scores of strolling families, rollerbladers and cyclists take to the Lake Onega promenade – an appealing park area scattered…

6. Puppet House

0.81 MILES

A remarkable and somewhat creepy collection of handmade creations by one of Russia’s foremost puppet mistresses. Storybook heroes, mythological creatures…

7. Statue of Peter the Great

0.81 MILES

Close to the hydrofoil terminal is a jaunty statue of Peter the Great pointing to the spot where Petrozavodsk would be founded.