[RUSSIA] Volgograd

Volgograd is formerly known as Stalingrad. It was the site of one of the most important and bloodiest battles of World War II - Battle of Stalingrad (1942-1943). The battle is regarded as the single largest battle in the history of warfare with over a million military personnel on each side. The battle itself lasted only 5 months, 1 week and 3 days. However, the casualties (killed, wounded or captured) is estimated to be almost two million in total.  It is a must visit place for any World War II history buff.

I flew to Volgograd from St Petersburg that day. Above picture is the Pulkovo Airport at St Petersburg .

This is the first time I flied by Aeroflot. Aeroflot used to be the Soviet national airline. Now it is still considered the de facto national airline of Russia. Most domestic line within Russia is served by Aeroflot. I have no complain of its service. Even though the flight was short, the cabin crew still served us sandwich. My son even got a free toy pack.

Arriving in Volgograd International Airport. The arrival hall is very small. Upon arrival, I discovered that my baby stroller was broken, two of its wheels were missing literally, rendering it unusable.

As I have limited time in Volgograd due to tight flight schedule, I engaged a local tour guide for a guided tour around the city including transport to and from the airport. The weather was hot and sunny during my visit, unlike the cool weather I experienced in St Petersburg.

The local tour guide picked us up from the airport and took us straight to the most important site in Volgograd - Mamayev Kurgan. This is the memorial site where Battle of Stalingrad happened. At the bottom of the Mamayev hill, this monument called “Memory of generations” depicts a group of people who are going in honor of the memory of the fallen fighters with wreaths and descended banners. A man and a young girl who are at the front represents the old and new generation.

On the left hand from the central staircase, there is a memorial wall with an inscription: ”Years and decades will pass by. New generations of people will appear. But grandsons and grand-grandsons of the heroes will come to the majestic memorial monument of Great Victory. They’ll come with their children and bring flowers. Here, thinking of the past and dreaming of the future people will remind all those who fell down defending the eternal flame of life.” There is also a small  shop besides it where you can buy some water. It is recommended to do so before you start climbing up the stairs, especially when it’s hot in summer.

Visitors will need to climb 200 steps, symbolizing the 200 days of the Battle of Stalingrad, lead from the bottom of the hill to the monument.

After the war, the Soviet authorities commissioned this enormous memorial complex to commemorate the hard fought Soviet victory over Axis forces on the Eastern front of World War II. The monumental memorial was constructed between 1959 and 1967.

A new stadium under construction in preparation of Russia World Cup 2018.

Mamayev Kurgan has several sections – Entrance Square, Military Memorial Cemetery, “Fight to the bitter end” Square & ruined walls, Square of Heroes, Hall of the Military Glory,Square of Sorrow and finally, the “Motherland Calls” monument.

Approaching “Fight to the bitter end” Square & ruined walls.

This is a popular photo spot.

In the center of the pond, there is a monument which depicts a soldier holding a gun in one hand and a grenade in another hand. The inscriptions on the rock says: “stand to death”, “There is no room for us on the other bank of the Volga”, “No step backwards”, “Every house is a fortress”, “Don`t bring shame upon sacred memory”.

The staircase which lead visitors to Square of Heroes. Walls on both sides of the staircase symbolize ruins of Stalingrad after bombing.

Fierce battles between the German attackers and the defending soldiers of the Soviet Army happened at the hill where Mamayev Kurgan is located now as whoever took control of the hill had control over the city. The hill changed hands several times during the battle.

Square of Heroes.

There are several statues on one side of the square, depicting the courage and bravery of those who fought in the battle.

This statue depicts a nurse carrying away a wounded soldier from the battlefield.

Another statue which depicts two soldiers are killing a snake and a swastika that symbolize fascism and then throw them back into the Volga River.

The happy figures of soldiers embracing each other and celebrating their victory are seen in the middle of the wall.

Two guards standing guard in front of the Eternal Flame in Hall of the Military Glory.

You can view the Eternal Flame from all angles as you ascended the ramp surrounding the flame.

The memorial site is overlooking Volgograd and the Volga River.

Square of Sorrow. The sculpture depicts a sorrowful mother mourning her dead son who had fallen in the battle. It also symbolizes all the mothers who lost sons, husbands, brothers, fathers in the war. The pond symbolize her tears.

The Motherland Calls statue is the tallest free-standing non-religious sculpture in the world. The statue is an symbolic image of the Motherland, which calls on its sons and daughters to repulse the enemy. This giant concrete statue measures 52 meters in height and the sword measures 33 meters.

Completed in October 1967, the statue also known as Rodina-mat zavyot was the tallest statue at that time.

The sword was originally made of stainless steel, trimmed with titanium sheets. However, due to structural concern, the blade was replaced by another - entirely consisting of steel in 1972. The upper part of the sword, now have holes that made it possible to reduce wind force against it.

The Motherland Calls statue from another angle.

One can find 35 granite tombstone of heroes at the hill. When the battle ended, the soil on the hill had been so thoroughly churned by shellfire and mixed with metal fragments that it contained between 500 and 1,250 splinters of metal per square meter. The earth on the hill had remained black in the winter, as the snow kept melting in the many fires and explosions. In the following spring the hill would still remain black, as no grass grew on its scorched soil. Even today, it is possible to find fragments of bone and metal still buried deep throughout the hill.

Tombstone of Vasily Zaytsev, Soviet famous sniper. He was reburied here in 2006.

All Saints Church at Mamayev Kurgan.

There is a tank tower on the granite pedestal nearby. It marks the famous “Height 102”. One can read an inscription: “Here, on the Mamayev Hill, during the Great Patriotic War in the battle for Stalingrad, the bloodiest and persistent fights for the possession of the dominating height took place. Here there is a brother’s grave of the soldiers who defended “height 102”. About 1500 people are buried here.

The next place I visited in Volgograd is the Panorama museum which is completely devoted to the famous Battle of Stalingrad.

The ruins of Grudinina mill is in the center of the complex. The mill was built in 1903. It is the only building left after bombing of Stalingrad. The ruins of the mill were left untouched as a monument to courage and heroism of the Soviet Union.

A replica of the original Barmaley Fountain can be seen in front of the ruins of Grudinina mill. The fountain was actually featured in the movie Enemy of the Gates and V for Vendetta.

Military equipment is demonstrated in the open here.

A war train consists of platforms with guns and tanks, carriages for soldiers.

More tanks.

Taking a photo besides a Soviet tank.

Entrance to the museum.

Opening hours of the Panorama Museum. It is closed on Mondays.

Military uniform and weapons on display inside the museum.

Painting of Battle of Stalingrad.

There are about 4,000 exhibits composed of 20 themes.

A bronze composition of there great leaders of the war period: Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin meet at summit in Sochi in 1945. It is an important exhibit of the museum.

One of the famous exhibits of this museum is the sniper rifle of "Hero of the Soviet Union" Vasily Zaytsev. Vasily was the main character in the movie Enemy of the Gates played by Jude Law.

At the highest floor, there is a panoramic drawing of the war that took place.

Lenin Square. This bronze sculpture of Lenin was erected in 1960.

Building of the Oblast Duma.

The Central Embankment was built in 1952 and was designed as a grand entrance to the city of Volgograd.

A monument that was erected in 1995 in honor of the 50th anniversary of the victory over the Nazi troops. It is dedicated to the civil population of the city who fell down in the result of bombing in August 1942.

Most of the buildings in Volgograd are rebuilt after the battle as the battle had rendered the whole city to rubbles.

For souvenir, I would recommend to buy it at the only souvenir shop in Volgograd International Airport while checking in for departure. This is the only place where I could find authentic mini replicas of the Motherland Calls statue  sold in different size and colour (gold or silver). The price is quite reasonable too. It costs me RUB 700 for the medium size statue.

Time to bid farewell to our tour guide and Volgograd. The tour guide name is Mikhail Shuvarikov and the price of USD 250 is really expensive for 3 hours. He can be contacted at mystalingrad@yandex.com. Another tour guide which I found on the web is Zhukov Vladimir. His rates is cheaper and can be contacted through https://www.sputnik8.com/en/volgograd. Unfortunately he was busy on that particular date.

Visiting Volgograd deepens my knowledge on the Battle of Stalingrad and reminds me of the horror of war. Although it is not as well known to tourist as other cities in Russia like Moscow or St Petersburg, it is well worth a visit while visiting Russia.