Interesting facts about Volgograd or formerly Stalingrad in Russia

Many cities changed their names during the Soviet era, and this famous Russian city was no different.

In the middle of the 16th century, the city was founded under the name “Tsaritsyn”.

It then adopted the name Stalingrad in 1925 to recognize the role Stalin played in defeating the anti-communist White Army during the Russian Civil War.

The city was later given its current name in 1961 under Stalin's successor, Nikita Khrushchev, after implementing a program of so-called "de-Stalinization."

The city was formerly known as Stalingrad.

Volgograd was almost destroyed during World War II.

The city, then called Stalingrad, was the site of one of the bloodiest battles in human history.

The famous Battle of Stalingrad, part of the Great Patriotic War (as Russians know it), killed an estimated 1.9 million soldiers on both sides of the conflict.

Hitler wanted to secure a route to the Caucasus oil fields, so he launched a major military campaign against Stalingrad.

But the aggression of the Nazi leader was met with the iron will of Stalin and his army.

He is famous for the order he gave his troops to “not take a single step back.”

After five months of slaughter, the Red Army finally defeated the Nazis, but not without an epic loss of life.

Illustration representing the bloody Battle of Stalingrad

The city houses the tallest female statue in the world.

Built on the former battlefield, this statue, called “The Motherland Calls,” is a massive monument commemorating the Battle of Stalingrad.

It depicts a brave woman holding a sword, which is supposed to represent the mother (the homeland) calling on her sons (the citizens) to defend their land.

At the time of construction, in 1967, this statue was the tallest free-standing statue in the world, extending 85 metres (279 ft) into the air.

However, it remains to this day the tallest female or feminine statue in the world.

Motherland Calling Statue

The city still contains mass graves and remains to this day.

There are many memorials andStatues Scattered throughout the city, they contain the remains of soldiers who lost their lives in battle.

The largest mass grave was found in Mamayev Kurgan.

It is the final resting place for thousands of soldiers who died fighting in the 900-day Battle of Leningrad between 1941 and 1944.

In 2012, 17,000 names of soldiers who died in battle at that time were engraved on the memorial wall.

The statue "The Motherland Calls" "Yes"On top of Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd.

There are many mass graves in the city.

Volgograd was completely rebuilt after World War II.

The siege of this city during World War II almost completely destroyed it, so it had to be rebuilt from scratch after the war.

Some of the leading Soviet architects were employed to design a city plan that included the needs of its inhabitants as well as to build some monuments that glorified the city's war efforts.

Stalingrad was rebuilt so that the city districts were connected by roads parallel to the Volga River.

These roads were also divided into squares and huge blocks with epic buildings and monuments to remind visitors and residents of the city of its victory.

The city was built from scratch after the war.

The battle became famous for its sniper, whose exploits were mentioned in many films and novels. He was the sniper “Vasily Grigorievich Zaitsev,” who was said to have killed 225 German soldiers during the battle, including 11 officers and an elite sniper.

After the war ended, Zaitsev had reached the rank of captain.

Many legends were woven around Vasily, to the point that he began to be used in the midst of war and battles by Soviet officers and leaders to raise the morale of soldiers in battles.

Generations have also passed down many stories about this officer, who became a legend as a sniper in the Red Army at that time.

Sniper Vasily Zaitsev