On this day, 32 years ago, on November 17, 1993 (October 4, 1993 lunar calendar), the Lenin Museum in Moscow was closed. Crowds line up to visit the Lenin Museum On November 16, 1993, officials of the Lenin Museum said that according to the order of President Yeltsin, the historic Lenin Museum was closed. The red brick building will serve as the seat of the future Moscow Duma, and the relics related to Lenin in the museum will be protected until a new collection is selected. The director of the museum, Vladimir Melnychenk, told foreign reporters that he had been notified earlier in the day, ordering the staff of the museum to close the museum and leave the building by tonight. In his letter, Mr. Yeltsin promised to pay the salaries of the museum's 140 staff and to help them find new jobs in the coming months, Mr. Melnychenko's secretary said. Among the museum's exhibits are the 1920s Rolls-Royce convertible that Lenin once rode in, his clothes, books, letters and photographs. On Nov. 17, 1993, the exhibits of the Lenin Museum, which is located near Red Square in central Moscow, began to be removed. According to reports, this was in accordance with the Russian president's order to vacate the museum for use by the Moscow City Duma. The museum's director, Mr. Melchenko, said he learned of the president's order from the city government through private channels. Mr. Melchenko said that no new space had been offered to the museum. He added that the president's order to deposit the museum's assets in the National History Museum's warehouse effectively meant abolishing the Lenin Museum. The curator emphasized that, whatever one might say about Lenin in the future, he was an outstanding figure and should have a museum. Without Lenin, history would lose a significant part of itself.