Statue of Lenin, Seattle

Seattle, Washington, United States

Public art

✓

Current

Listed, not yet checked · Oct 2026

This Big Thing is recorded as still being here.

A 16-foot bronze statue of Vladimir Lenin by sculptor Emil Venkov, put up in Poprad, Czechoslovakia, in 1988, has stood on a privately owned site in the Fremont neighbourhood of Seattle since 1995.

Private to your Passport.

PLAN YOUR VISIT

No recommended arrival yet

We have not checked a recommended place to arrive or stop here yet.

This takes you to the Big Thing itself. If stopping, choose a safe and legal place nearby.

Statue of Lenin, Seattle

This pin marks the Big Thing itself. If stopping, choose a safe and legal place nearby.

Approximate location · 47.606° N, 122.332° W

FIELD GUIDE

The story

Fremont, the Seattle neighbourhood that calls itself 'The Center of the Universe', is home to a 16-foot bronze of Vladimir Lenin that has drawn visitors, dress-up, paint and debate for three decades.

According to MyNorthwest, Emil Venkov made the statue and it was erected in Poprad, Czechoslovakia, in 1988. Post Alley reports that it came down a year later, after the Czechoslovak state fell, and was found in 1993 by a buyer from Issaquah, Washington, who paid $13,000 and had the seven-ton figure cut into three pieces for shipment. The Seattle Times reported in 1994 that the purchase cost $13,000 and shipping a further $27,000, and that the pieces had not been reassembled. MyNorthwest says the statue was later loaned to Fremont, where it has stood since 1995.

Several outlets, including Post Alley (2023) and The Ukrainian Weekly (2025), describe the statue as sitting on private property. In 2025 The Ukrainian Weekly reported that it remains in place and had been splashed with orange and yellow paint around the anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Its hands are often covered in red paint, that outlet adds, while MyNorthwest says it is also dressed for local events, including Pride Week and Christmas.

Opinions about it differ. In 2017 FOX 13 quoted a Fremont website saying 'this piece means different things to different people'. In 2023 Post Alley noted that a Seattle Times editorial writer had opened a conversation about removing it (Post Alley's author argued against removal). In 2025 The Ukrainian Weekly described repeated calls for removal, writing that some see it as public art or a nod to Fremont's quirky spirit, while others, particularly Ukrainians, see a reminder of an empire built on repression.

Roadside America places it just north and west of the Fremont Bridge.

Add a photo

PRACTICAL

Plan your stop

WHAT TO EXPECT

Outdoor, street-corner statue in the Fremont neighbourhood; visible from the public sidewalk.

ACCESS

Fremont neighbourhood, Seattle, near North 36th Street and Evanston Avenue North (Roadside America), just north and west of the Fremont Bridge. The Ukrainian Weekly and Post Alley describe it as on private property.

COMMUNITY