It is located in the park heading down to the Volga from the Trading Rows. While at first glance this may just seem like any ordinary Lenin statue, don’t judge a book by its cover. Sure, it’s higher than average, but Lenin is not the first guest to stand in this location. On the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Romanov dynasty in 1913, Nicholas II laid the bricks in the foundation for what was intended to become a 36-metre high bronze statue with 26 busts featuring all of the Romanovs as well as national heroes. Only four of the busts, in addition to the elaborate pedestal, were completed by 1917 when construction was promptly halted by the Revolution. In 1928 all of the completed statues were melted and replaced by Lenin, with the pedestal all that remains of the original vision.