On August 28, 1898, in the Moscow Kremlin, the solemn opening of the monument to Emperor Alexander II took place in the presence of Emperor Nicholas II.

On March 8, 1881, a week after the assassination of Alexander II, the mayor of Moscow, Sergey Tretyakov, proposed to erect a monument in his honor in the Kremlin. The idea was supported by the city council and Emperor Alexander III. A subscription was announced to raise funds for the construction of the monument, resulting in the collection of 1 million 762 thousand rubles.

The monument to Alexander II towered over the Tainitsky Garden of the Kremlin and was clearly visible from the Zamoskvorechye side across the Moscow River. Work on the monument began under Alexander III in 1893 and was completed in 1898 under Nicholas II. The sculptor Alexander Opekushin, artist Pyotr Zhukovsky, and architect Nikolai Sultanov worked on its creation.

The newspaper "Moscow Vedomosti" reported that the monument was popular among Muscovites: "More than a month has passed since the opening of the monument to Emperor Alexander II, but every day crowds of people gather around it. This is not just sightseeing; the public walks quietly, reverently, and conversations are held in whispers."

The dismantling of the bronze statue of Alexander II began in June 1918. Art historian Nikolai Okunev described this in his diary: "I saw a film titled 'The Removal of the Monument to Alexander II.' A heavy sight! It is as if they are cutting a living person into pieces and saying: 'Look how this is done, and learn.' The only thing missing is a demonstration of shootings on the screen. This film is from a series of shots by a government cultural and educational institution."

The complete demolition of the memorial was finished in 1928. In 1967, a statue of Lenin was installed in its place, which was later moved to the museum-reserve 'Gorki Leninskie' after the collapse of the USSR.