International Students / About Volgograd

Hero city Volgograd is a centre of the Volgograd Region, which is part of the South Federal district of Russia. Volgograd region has a favorable strategic position, being at the same time the gate of the South Russia. It borders upon Astrakhan, Voronezh, the Saratov Region and also with the republics of Kazakhstan and Kalmykia. At present time more than 100 nationalities live in Volgograd.

Climate in Volgograd is torrid and sharply continental. In June temperature is 36-42 degrees above zero, and in winter – 15-20 degrees below zero. As a rule, winter begins in November and continues for 130-150 days. Spring isn't usually long and begins in March or April. Summer is usually hot. So here you can try all Russian weather seasons!

Volgograd is situated on the right Volga bank. The city reaches about 80 km along the river. Modern Volgograd is a large-scale industrial centre. Here are developed such extractive industries as fuel, metallurgical, chemical, oil, engineering industry, tree and food industry.

In Volgograd you could visit the following historical places:

Mamaev Hill

Prevailing over the main part of the city, Mamaev Hill is marked on the maps as Height-102,0 and it was the main chain in the system of defense of the Stalingrad front. It also turned out to be the key position in the fight for the banks of the Volga. Fierce battles took place here during the last months of 1942. The ground of the hill was plowed up by bombs, missiles and mines. Right here, in the area of Mamayev Hill, on the 2nd of February of 1943 the Stalingrad Battle was finished. On Mamaev Hill the world-famous memorial, the dominant of which is the sculpture «Motherland», which became a symbol of Volgograd hero-city, was opened in 1967.

Address: Russia, Volgograd.
www.mamayevhill.volgadmin.ru

Museum-panorama «Stalingrad battle»

Exposure area of Museum is 4,5 thousand m2, onetime capacity of the Museum is 1200 people. In eight exhibition halls of the Museum more than 3500 exhibits are featured, a unique portrait gallery of Soviet military commanders who took part in the Battle of Stalingrad. Museum's funds account for more than 126 thousand units of local, national and global importance. As part of the funds are a unique collection of cold steel and fire-arms, military equipment, documents, photographs, banners, posters and fine art. Museum-panorama «The defeat of Nazi forces at Stalingrad» is the biggest painting in Russia, the size of canvas is 16×120 m, 2000 m2  and 1000 m2 is of the objective plan. Panorama is not only a historical monument of the Battle of Stalingrad, which are displayed on the canvas. Undoubtedly, this is a cultural monument, a masterpiece.

Address: Russia, Volgograd, Marshal Chuikov St., 47
www.stalingrad-battle.ru

Destroyed Mill

Dilapidated red brick building of Stalingrad mill. The mill was built in 1904 by a German, Gerhardt. When restoring the city after the war, the mill was decided to be left as it was, as a living evidence of the devastating Battle of Stalingrad. The location of this monument identified a place for the museum «the Battle of Stalingrad», one of the exhibits of which is the building of the mill.

Address: Russia, Volgograd.
www.stalingrad-battle.ru

Pavlov’s House

Pavlov’s House is a 4-storeyed residential building in the center of Volgograd, where during the Battle of Stalingrad a group of Soviet soldiers under the command of Lieutenant J.F.Afanasyev and Sergeant Y. F. Pavlov held the defense.

Address: Russia, Volgograd, Sovetskaya St., 39.

Museum-reserve «Old Sarepta»

In 1765, on the banks of the Volga river in the mouth of the Sarpa river, 28 km south of Tsaritsyn Russia’s first foreign colony of settlers from Europe – Sarepta was founded. In order to develop southern border regions of Russia and protect them from the nomads Catherine the Great issued a manifesto (1765), defining the rights and conditions of residence of immigrants from Europe. It was founded by the Germans in 1765 as a religious mission.

Address: Russia, Volgograd, Izobilnaya St., 10

Planetarium

Volgograd Planetarium is the only planetarium in the Lower Volga region. It was opened on September 19, 1954. The building is crowned by a group of sculptures «Peace» of Vera Mukhina, which is the last of her works. Volgograd Planetarium was a gift of the workers of German Democratic Republic to the Soviet people in the threshold to the 70th anniversary of Stalin.

Address: Russia, Volgograd, Gagarin St., 14.
www.volgogradplanetarium.volgadmin.ru

River station in Volgograd

River station in Volgograd is the largest river station in Russia, as well as in Europe. The length of the building is practically equal to the length of Red Square in Moscow and is 296 m, the width is 36 m and the height of the top point is 47 m. Six ships can simultaneously moor to the station. River Station is not only a transport, but also one of the cultural centre of Volgograd. Its decoration and cultural attraction of the city is the organ «Rieger-Kloss» built in 1983. Nowadays Volgograd River Station is rather an entertainment than a transportation center.

Address: Russia, Volgograd, Naberezhnaya 62 Armii, 6
www.vrp.ru

Central Embankment

The central embankment of the city of Volgograd was built in 1952 and was designed as a grand entrance into the city. Architecturally the embankment is solved with the help of two white Propylaea, located on the site of the main Volga crossing in 1942. A wide granite staircase rises towards them from the water. The central embankment is named after the 62nd Army, soldiers of which during the Second World War at cost of the incredible efforts did not let the enemy to the banks of the Volga. The evacuation of civilians, the supply of the city defenders with arms and food were carried out across the Volga – the loss of the base meant a complete loss of the city. Fighting was deployed for each meter of land and in many places German troops were separated from the Volga by just metres.