|
The monument was unceremoniously torn down two years after
the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall. Its demolition, depicted in
the German blockbuster movie "Good-bye, Lenin!", became a symbol
of the end of East Germany and downfall of Communism in Europe.
The granite statue designed by Russian sculptor Nikolai Tomski
was split into 130 pieces before being interred. Berlin
officials said all other sections would remain buried.
Residents at the statue's former site in Lenin Square in east
Berlin, now renamed United Nations Square, were divided over the
about the prospect of the head being on display again soon. For
decades in East Germany, Lenin, who led the Russian Bolshevik
revolution of 1917, was held up as the model communist, feted
everywhere in portraits, banners and statues.
"It is bullshit to dig him up again now," said Friedrich Krause.
Another resident who gave only his last name as Seuder said:
"Lenin to rise again? That doesn't work. History is over."
Other Berliners disagreed.
"That is a great idea. It was a shame to take it away in the
first place," said a local resident who identified himself only
with his first name Erhardt.
The statue was originally unveiled in East Berlin in 1970. The
head is due to be displayed as part of an exhibition in the west
Berlin district of Spandau together with other historic
monuments.
"Because the statue is some 19 meters high (60 feet) ... there
was no way that we would get the whole statue into our rooms, so
we decided to display the head as its most recognizable part,"
said Andrea Theissen, head of Berlin-Spandau's art department.
(Reporting by Michael Nienaber and Reuters TV; editing by Ralph
Boulton)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
|
