The Lenin Museum in Tampere, Finland, the only museum outside Russia dedicated to Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin, officially closed its doors on November 3.

A new political museum on the same site will open on February 15, 2025, according to Finnish authorities announcement. The museum will reportedly focus on Finnish-Russian relations.

The Lenin Museum was founded in 1946, becoming the first permanent exhibition on Lenin located outside of Russia. It is installed in the building where Lenin first met Joseph Stalin during a secret Bolshevik meeting.

The exhibits told the story of Lenin’s life as well as the history of Finnish-Soviet relations.

Director of the Kalle Kallio Museum said AFP explained that the name of the institution had “become a burden” after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The name was off-putting to visitors, although Kallio clarified that the museum had no connection with the Russian state.

The next museum will be called “Nootti” (“Note”) and will include information on the development of relations between Finland and Russia in the 21st century.

Relationships between Finland and Russia have deteriorated since large-scale invasion. In response to the war, Finland joined NATO in April 2023extending the NATO-Russia border by approximately 1,340 kilometers (830 miles).

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