The monument to the leader of the October Revolution was unveiled in Nowa Huta on April 28, 1973 in the avenue of Roses. It was a work of sculptor Marian Konieczny. The bronze monument depicted Lenin marching forward, to symbolize his eternally vivid ideas. The cast – made by the steelworks - was very expensive, resulting in the workers' annual bonuses and their three-month premiums being cut by the conglomerate. From the beginning the inhabitants didn't accept the presence of this gigantic statue. On the night of April 18, 1979 at around 3 a.m., a secret attempt was made to blow it up. The blast had such enormous striking power, that the window panes from all apartment blocks around the monument were blown out. However the explosion didn't cause the intended effect. Lenin lost only a part of the right foot. The perpetrators of the assault were never found.Jacek Bartlewicz, "Widok na Nową Hutę" (Outlook on Nowa Huta). NaszeMiasto.pl, 2000-2009 Polskapresse. Retrieved from the Internet Archive.
