Story of lost Lenin statue resurfaces following public display
DÜZCE
A wooden bust of Soviet revolutionary Vladimir Lenin, missing for over three decades before mysteriously resurfacing on the shores of Düzce's Akçakoca district along the Black Sea coast in 1993, now enthralls visitors as it takes center stage in a public exhibition.
The long-lost statue made its official return on June 21, accompanied by the first local screening of “Sen Ben Lenin” (You Me Lenin) — a feature film inspired by the statue’s curious disappearance.
The bust, believed to have drifted across the Black Sea in the aftermath of the Soviet Union’s collapse, caused a stir when it appeared on the Düzce coastline. Though its origins were never traced, it drew national media attention and symbolic interpretations. Shortly after its arrival, the statue vanished, sparking years of speculation.
In 2021, filmmakers Tufan Taştan and Barış Bıçakçı brought the story to the screen with Sen Ben Lenin, a dark comedy depicting a small town’s surreal journey after discovering a Lenin statue. While the film gained critical interest, a planned premiere in Akçakoca was blocked by local officials at the time.
Ironically, just as in the movie, the statue went missing again — this time from municipal storage.
Efforts to revive the case were renewed in 2024 after the Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) candidate, Fikret Albayrak, was reelected as mayor. The statue was found in a depot, restored and formally reintroduced to the public during a special event at the town’s Liman İçi Amphitheater.
The same evening, Sen Ben Lenin was screened with the participation of its cast and crew.
The bust will now be permanently exhibited at the municipality’s Özkök Cultural House, according to T24, an online news platform. Albayrak noted the growing interest in the statue and film from across the country, particularly among leftist groups.
The statue’s bizarre history has previously inspired a 2016 documentary titled “Hoşgeldin Lenin” (Welcome Lenin), and earlier attempts were made to assess its tourism value. Yet it remained tucked away — until now.
As for Lenin himself, the revolutionary figure remains a complex symbol worldwide. To critics, he was a ruthless dictator who suppressed dissent. To admirers, he was a visionary who fought for social justice and international solidarity.
Known as a Marxist theorist and the principal leader of the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, he founded the Bolshevik party and played a central role in the establishment of the Soviet Union. Lenin spent years in exile across Europe before returning to Russia to lead the revolution.
As the first head of the Soviet state, he helped shape the ideological and institutional foundations of 20th-century communism.
