is depicted with his right arm raised to shoulder height, palm forwards and thumb upraised. This "taxi-hailing" pose is common to many Lenin statues, though Berkeley Professor Laura Bonnell states that this depiction differs from later versions in that Lenin's arm is used to indicate a directional movement, rather than offering a benediction to the masses. The statue's left hand holds the lapels of Lenin's overcoat and suit jacket. The monument is described by Oxford Professor Penelope Curtis as the "first important monument" of Lenin and establishing a style that has been much repeated by later statues. Joseph Brodsky thought the statue the first ever to depict a person on top of an armoured car and compared it to the tradition of equestrian statues of previous leaders. History The statue was unveiled on 7 November 1926. It originally stood in a small square in front of the station, it was moved to a new position when the square was remodelled after the Second World War and a new, larger Lenin Square was created. It faces across the square toward the River Neva and the Bolshoy Dom, formerly the headquarters of the KGB in the city and now used by the Federal Security Service. By 1979 every station in Leningrad (Petrograd had been renamed again five days after Lenin's death) had a statue or bust of Lenin. After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 the majority of these were torn down; the Finland Station statue is one of the few that remain and is one of the most famous in the country. At 4.30am on 1 April 2009 the statue was attacked by a bomb. A hole measuring was blown in the buttocks of the statue. The attackers were never caught. The statue was taken away for repair and reinstalled in April 2010. Gallery References External links 1926 establishments in Russia 1926 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Russia Colossal statues in Russia Monuments and memorials in Saint Petersburg Monuments and memorials to Vladimir Lenin Sculptures of men in Russia Stone sculptures in Russia Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Saint Petersburg