A few hundred metres north of Ala-Too Square sits the Old Square — the original Soviet-era ceremonial centre of the city, dominated by the Soviet-built Parliament building (the Jogorku Kenesh) and a large standing statue of Lenin. The Lenin was moved here in 2003 after his removal from Ala-Too Square, and although his back is now to the parliament, this remains the most visible Lenin statue left in any post-Soviet capital city.
The square is rarely busy and works as a quiet ten-minute detour from the main square — the contrast between the marble pomp of Ala-Too and the slightly faded grandeur here is one of the more telling things in central Bishkek.