Solovetsky Stone

Welcome to Lubyanka Square, a place that occupies a chilling and central position in the landscape of Russian historical memory. We stand before a deceptively simple monument: a large, unhewn granite boulder known as the…

The Solovetsky Stone is more than a memorial; it is a literal piece of the Gulag. It was sourced from the Solovetsky Archipelago, located just 165 kilometers from the Arctic Circle. …

To understand the weight of the Solovetsky Stone, one must turn and face the massive building that looms over it. The Lubyanka building, with its distinctive neo-baroque facade, was originally built for an insurance company but…

Near the stone, you will often find information stands detailing the sheer scale of the political terror. The statistics are difficult to comprehend: over 40,000 people were shot in Moscow alone during the years of the communist…

The most significant day in the life of the Solovetsky Stone is October 30th, the Day of the Political Prisoner. This date was chosen to commemorate a hunger strike by prisoners in the Perm and Mordovian camps in 1974. …

While the Solovetsky Stone was an act of civil society, the landscape of memory in Russia has continued to evolve. In 2017, a much larger monument, the Wall of Grief, was opened on Academician Sakharov Avenue. …

As you spend these final moments near the Solovetsky Stone, notice the physical toll that time and the environment have taken on it. The granite has weathered decades of Moscow’s harsh winters and urban pollution, yet it remains…

Our visit to the Solovetsky Stone concludes here in the heart of Lubyanka Square, but the questions it raises will follow you long after you leave. This simple boulder from the White Sea has transformed this urban space into a…