Did you know that around the world, the bodies of just five leaders are still preserved forever? Behind this lies an extraordinary technological battle and deep historical imprints shaped by the choices of the era.

The story of permanent body preservation, starting with Lenin, was not actually planned from the beginning but emerged from the passionate mourning of the people. After his death in 1924, he was initially supposed to be buried normally. However, the strength of public sentiment led authorities to decide on immediate cryopreservation. Subsequently, Soviet scientists conducted numerous experiments and developed a special preservative solution. They established a technique to suppress bacteria by replacing the body's water content.

Interestingly, the fate of Stalin’s body, another Soviet leader, is also notable. Stalin was buried in the Lenin Mausoleum in 1953, but by 1961, changing political trends led to his body being moved for cremation. The treatment of Stalin’s remains was not just a technical issue but a symbol of shifting historical values.

In the case of Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam, the story is even more dramatic. Although he wished to be cremated during his lifetime, his successors decided to preserve his body. During the Vietnam War, his remains were secretly stored in a mountain cave for five years. It’s astonishing that Soviet experts conducted preservation treatments in the cave while avoiding bombings.

The preservation of Nétu’s body in Angola also posed new technical challenges. Confronted with the problem of pigment leakage from Black skin, Soviet technicians had to develop new methods for pigment preservation. Today, his body is only displayed publicly once a year on his birthday.

However, not all efforts succeeded. Gottwald’s preservation failed due to inadequate embalming techniques, leading to decay and his subsequent cremation in 1962. Dimitrov’s body was also preserved for over 40 years but was eventually cremated amid the political upheavals in Eastern Europe.

Looking at these cases, the permanent preservation of bodies is not merely a technological victory but a product of the era’s perceptions and political decisions. The bodies in crystal coffins are proof of science and, at the same time, mirrors of history.