A monument to the Romanian soldiers and officers who died in Stalingrad was erected in Volgograd. A memorial monument with the inscription: “In memory of the Romanian prisoners of war of the Second World War who died in Russia” was opened in the Krasnoarmeysky district by a delegation from Romania together with officials of the Volgograd administration and administration Volgograd region. The installation of the monument is connected with Romania’s initiative to perpetuate the memory of its soldiers and officers who died in the Battle of Stalingrad, V1.ru was told in the administration of the Volgograd region. - Between Russia and Romania back in 1995, agreements were concluded to ensure the safety and order of maintenance of Russian military graves abroad and foreign military graves in Russian Federation, - the administration reported. - As part of these agreements, in 1996, at the request of the War Memorials association, the Volgograd administration provided a plot of land in the village of Sacco and Vanzetti in the Krasnoarmeysky district for indefinite use. It was transferred for the arrangement of the cemetery for foreign prisoners of war of the 1st department of the 108th Beketovsky camp. In 2005, an agreement was concluded between the governments of Russia and Romania that military personnel, including those captured, and people killed or died during the First and Second World Wars and in the post-war period, buried on the territory of the two countries, have the right to a worthy place of rest, the creation and maintenance of which must be properly ensured. On this basis, the Romanian side and “War Memorials” expressed a desire to erect a memorial sign in the period from May 10 to 15 of this year. Representative of the association of international military memorial cooperation “War Memorials” Sergei Chikhirev told V1.ru that the installation of a memorial stone in the Krasnoarmeysky district is due to the fact that the remains of 35 Romanian prisoners of war rest on the territory of the cemetery. - The initiative for the installation belongs to the Romanian consulate and authorities, as well as organizations involved in the care of war graves. It is difficult to single out just one. It was more of a general idea. The monument was made in advance and brought to Volgograd,” explained Sergei Chikhirev. - From Romania, the ambassador and his family, the consul from Rostov-on-Don, and embassy workers were present at the opening of the monument. There are about 10 people in total. Representatives from Volgograd were represented by employees of the international relations committee of the regional administration and the deputy head of the Krasnoarmeysky district. Everyone met at the cemetery, and the Romanians thanked the Volgograd authorities for the opportunity to install the monument and constructive cooperation. The whole event took 20-30 minutes. The ambassador mentioned in his speech that there are about 300 graves and monuments to Soviet soldiers on the territory of Romania. They guarantee to take care of them. Then the Romanians went to Astrakhan to unveil a small monument. In the near future, they plan to open a prefabricated cemetery in the city of Apsheronsk, Krasnodar Territory. There they are going to perpetuate the memory of not only soldiers and prisoners of war, but also civilians who lived in the south of Russia. In Romania, there is a special program that allocates funds for the installation of such monuments. According to a representative of War Memorials, the opening of the monument at the combined Hungarian-German-Romanian cemetery is explained primarily by pragmatic reasons. - Mostly Germans are buried in the cemetery in the villages of Sacco and Vanzetti. There are about 120 of them and 35 Romanians. There are fewer Hungarians there. The installation of the monument there is due to the fact that it is easier to care for the graves and the monument. The opening of the monument will help preserve the memory of prisoners and soldiers, so that contemporaries can see who is buried in this particular place. If Romanian soldiers lie here, then it is logical to indicate this with a memorial sign. Nothing more. The reason is simple - 35 Romanian prisoners of war are buried here. Therefore, the inscription on the stone speaks of this. Another monument has stood for many years in the old cemetery in the city of Uryupinsk, Volgograd Region, where there was a hospital for prisoners of war during the war. “War Memorials” have long been engaged in the Volgograd region in the search, exhumation and establishment of the fate of foreign soldiers who fought at Stalingrad. - Behind last years It was possible to discover and rebury the remains of more than 1,000 Romanian soldiers,” said Sergei Chikhirev. - They are buried at the Memorial Cemetery in Rossoshki. Two monuments have been erected to Romanians in Russia and one prefabricated cemetery has been opened in Rossoshki. There are about 300 monuments and two prefabricated cemeteries to Hungarian soldiers and prisoners of war on Russian territory. Our state takes care of them. As part of a parity partnership, the same Germans and Romanians maintain the proper burial of Soviet soldiers in their countries. Our organization provides funding and finds people who take care of foreign graves. The opening of the monument in the village of Sacco and Vanzetti was carried out
On October 15, 1967, the historical memorial Complex"To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad" on Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd.
During the Great Patriotic War in days Battle of Stalingrad(1942-1943) on Mamayev Kurgan, located in the central part of Volgograd (from 1925 to 1961 - Stalingrad), there were stubborn battles, especially in September 1942 - January 1943.
On front-line maps the mound was designated as “height 102.0”. It was of exceptional military importance, since it occupied a dominant position over the central part of the city; crossings across the Volga were clearly visible from above; industrial facilities and a railway station were within sight. The one who owned the mound owned the city: maintaining this height was a matter of life or death - the mound passed “from hand to hand” of the warring parties several times a day. But the Nazis were never able to completely capture the mound. The eastern slopes steadfastly and heroically defended the troops of the Red Army, repelling the furious attacks of the enemy.
For 140 days and nights, the troops of the 62nd Army under the command of Vasily Chuikov stood to the death on the slopes of Mamayev Kurgan. On January 26, 1943, on the northwestern slopes of the mound, units of the 21st Army united with the advancing 62nd Army. As a result of this connection, the Nazi group was divided into two parts and liquidated.
The fighting on Mamayev Kurgan was so fierce that even its outline changed. Immediately after the battle, from 500 to 1250 shell fragments were found on every square meter of his land. In the spring of 1943, not even the grass was green on it.
After the end of the battle, the dead from all over the city were buried on Mamayev Kurgan. According to approximate data, about 34.5 thousand people are buried there.
The idea to erect majestic monument in memory of the Battle of Stalingrad arose immediately after the end of hostilities. In 1945-1955, a competition was held in the country for his project, and as a result, he became the author and leader of the team of builders. folk artist USSR sculptor Evgeniy Vuchetich, chief architect - Yakov Belopolsky. Construction of the monument began in May 1959, and the opening took place on October 15, 1967.
The memorial complex "Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad" is a unique structure, the total length from the foot to the top is 820 meters. The total area of the complex is 177,758 square meters. It represents a series of architectural and spatial links, as if strung on a single axis. As you ascend the mound, more and more new elements and compositions of the memorial open up before your eyes.
The entrance to the memorial complex begins with an introductory composition located on V.I. Avenue. Lenin at the foot of Mamayev Kurgan and called “Memory of Generations”. It is a large high relief (sculpture in stone) depicting people of different generations (11 figures) who, in mournful silence, move along a dilapidated stone wall towards the stairs leading to the mound to honor the memory of the dead.
Behind the introductory composition on the square, 12 pedestals were later installed with the soil of the hero cities and Brest Fortress. From them, a wide staircase leads to the Alley of Pyramid Poplars, which is laid along the ridge of an artificial earthen embankment, rising 10 meters above the entrance square - Avenue named after. IN AND. Lenin. The length of the alley is 223 meters, width is 10 meters. Its upper level is 20 meters higher than the lower one.
Heroes Square ends with a retaining wall, the area of which is about one thousand square meters. On it, in the form of separate paintings-episodes in a relief image, the story about the offensive of Soviet troops near Stalingrad, the joy of victory, the capture of the Nazis, and the rally of the winners is reproduced.
The retaining wall contains the entrance to the Hall of Military Glory. In the passage to the hall there is a model of the medal “For the Defense of Stalingrad”; inside on the ceiling there are 18 models of orders and medals of the USSR. In the center of the hall is an image of the hand of a deceased hero with a torch. Eternal Flame, a guard of honor was installed. On the walls are 34 mosaic mourning banners with 7,200 names, symbolizing all the fallen defenders of Stalingrad. At the top there is an inscription on the medal ribbon: “Yes, we were mere mortals, and few of us survived, but we all fulfilled our patriotic duty to the sacred motherland.”
The exit from the hall is located at the level of the next terrace - the Square of Sorrow.
On the square in the pool there is a sculpture “Mother’s Sorrow”: in boundless grief and sadness, the mother bent over the body of her murdered son. There are two graves on the Square of Sorrow. One is a single grave of a twice Hero Soviet Union Marshal of the Soviet Union, former commander of the 62nd Army Vasily Chuikov.
The second is a mass grave, where 34,505 (+ 4) soldiers (from the areas of Stalingrad) were reburied during the construction of the memorial. Later, urns with the ashes of the Hero of the Soviet Union, former commander of the 64th Army Mikhail Shumilov, chairman of the City Defense Committee (during the war) Alexei Chuyanov were buried, twice Hero of the Soviet Union pilot Vasily Efremov was buried, and the famous sniper Hero of the Soviet Union Vasily Zaitsev was reburied. Along the grave there are 37 memorial slabs with the names of particularly distinguished defenders during the Battle of Stalingrad, including the slab to the Unknown Soldier.
The compositional center of the ensemble is the Motherland sculpture. The monument depicts a woman holding a sword in her hand and standing in a pose calling for fight. The figure of the Motherland dominates not only Mamaev Kurgan, but also the city; it is visible for tens of kilometers. The height of the monument is 85 meters with a sword, 52 meters without a sword. The length of the sword is 33 meters, the weight of the sword is 14 tons. The entire monument weighs 8 thousand tons. At the base, the sculpture is not secured by anything; it stands under its own weight. The inside is hollow, there is a staircase in sculpture and sword. It is made of reinforced concrete, the sword is steel.
To climb from the foot of the mound to its top, you need to walk 200 granite steps - the number of days of the Battle of Stalingrad.
Since the opening of the Mamayev Kurgan memorial complex, it has changed noticeably. In 1985, a military memorial cemetery was opened. In 2005, the memorial complex received its own church - All Saints. By 2013 (the 70th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Stalingrad) there were engraved the names of 17 thousand defenders of Stalingrad.
The memorial complex "Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad" by order of the Government of the Russian Federation was classified as an object cultural heritage federal significance, and the sculpture "Motherland" - to especially valuable objects of cultural heritage of Russia in 2016.
In 2008, according to the results of a popular vote, the monument-ensemble “To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad” and the sculpture “The Motherland Calls!” were included in the "Seven Wonders of Russia". In 2013, according to the results of a nationwide vote, the Mamayev Kurgan and the sculpture “The Motherland Calls!” entered the top ten winners of the multimedia project-competition "Russia-10".
In 2014, the memorial complex "To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad" on Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd from the Russian Federation.
The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources
Location: Peschanka village, Sovetsky district of Volgograd.
On the outskirts of Peschanka, where the heaviest battles took place in 1942–1943, there is a strange structure, which cannot be immediately recognized as a monument. As you get closer, you can see signs of a memorial - a tombstone with a cross, flowers, wreaths... But first of all, a sharp figure made of rusty steel sheets seems to be one of the many shell fragments left here from the war and now rising from the ground and rushing into the sky. Once upon a time, this unusual sign of memory was aptly called a thorn.
The monument to all victims of the Battle of Stalingrad was erected on June 8, 1996 at the expense of Austrian citizens. The public organizations “Austrian Black Cross” and “Committee for 50 Years of Stalingrad” were involved in collecting money in 1992–1993.
In 1992, an agreement was concluded between the governments of the Russian Federation and the Federal Republic of Germany on the care of military graves. As part of the agreement, the German side is allowed to arrange and care for German war graves on Russian territory. In addition, the German government, at its own expense, ensures the preservation and care of Russian war graves in Germany. The agreement covers those killed during the First and Second World Wars.
Initially, in negotiations with Volgograd officials and veterans, the Austrian side insisted on installing a monument in the city center - on Predmostnaya Square (now Reconciliation Square). However, ultimately the monument was erected in Peschanka, and on Predmostnaya Square back in 1993 the Cross of Reconciliation between the peoples of Russia, Austria and Germany appeared.
The monument to all victims of the Battle of Stalingrad was created according to the design of the Austrian architect Johann Boyle. It looks deliberately simple, even rude. The sharp 10-meter edge of the pyramid made of ordinary steel, subject to rust, symbolizes the tools and materials of war in all their ugliness. "Thorn" leans towards a tombstone with a Catholic cross.
On the other side of the monument lies a granite slab. The inscription in German and Russian reads: “This monument is dedicated to all the victims of the Battle of Stalingrad 1942–43. It recalls the suffering of the soldiers and civilians who fell here. For those who fell here and died in captivity from all countries, we pray for eternal peace in the Russian land.”
Despite the exhaustive inscription, the Thorn is sometimes referred to as a monument dedicated to the Austrians who died during the First and Second World Wars. But this is not so, the memorial was created in memory of all victims of the war, regardless of nationality or affiliation with any of the warring parties.
In September 1942, the Germans broke through to Stalingrad from three directions. In the south, in the steppe near Peschanka there were fierce battles. To this day, not far from the monument you can see the remains of the fortifications of those times - trenches, artillery caponiers.
Operational report from September 9, 1942
40th Army. During September 8, two battalions of the 206th Infantry Division fought a firefight in the area 2 kilometers southwest of the village of Peschanka. In the battle on September 7, units of the division in the area southwest of the village of Peschanka destroyed up to 500 soldiers and officers, 4 mortar batteries, 8 machine guns, 3 wagons with ammunition; 1 enemy dugout and 1 observation post were destroyed.
Since the morning of September 8, the 64th Army, with right-flank units, repelled enemy attacks of up to two infantry regiments with 50 tanks, advancing from the direction of Voroponovo station in the direction of the Peschanka area - height 143.5.
By 15:00 on September 8, the 138th Infantry Division was fighting on the western outskirts of the village of Peschanka - an unnamed height south of mark 143.5. As a result of an enemy tank attack, the division's 343rd Infantry Regiment was almost completely destroyed. In the battle of September 8, 18 enemy tanks were knocked out and burned.
On September 11, Gerbil was captured Nazi troops. There were bloody battles in Stalingrad, and here, in Peschanka, wounded and killed German soldiers were brought en masse to the local hospital and cemetery. According to various sources, from 15 to 27 thousand German soldiers and officers are buried here.
In addition to the unusual “Thorn”, which is considered to a greater extent German, in Peschanka there are three mass graves of Soviet soldiers.
In August 1942, in the area of Peschanka, a Soviet Pe-2 bomber plane was attacked by a German fighter, caught fire and exploded. He was returning to his airfield in the Volga region. The names of the three dead pilots could not be established. Residents of Peschanka buried them in the local cemetery, and an airplane propeller became a monument to the pilots.
A mass grave in the center of Peschanka appeared in 1943 after the liberation of the village from invaders; in 1965, an obelisk by the sculptor Shelkov was installed here. The tombstones bear the names of 117 fallen Soviet soldiers - officers and soldiers, but the true number of those buried here is unknown.
In a battle in the Peschanka area on January 22, 1943, the famous sniper Maxim Passar, one of the most effective snipers of the Battle of Stalingrad, who killed more than 200 enemy soldiers and officers, died. Soviet troops attacked enemy positions, but two machine guns firing from cover prevented the attackers from getting closer. Passar was able to get within 100 meters of the machine gunners and destroyed both crews. The attack was successful, but Maxim Passar himself was killed.
On January 25, 1943, in the battle near Peschanka, messenger Maxim Fefilov, who took command of the company after the death of the commander, led the soldiers into the attack. Under heavy enemy fire, Fefilov's riflemen broke through the barrage and were the first to occupy Peschanka. In this battle, more than 100 German soldiers and officers were killed, and more than 200 were captured.
Behind the monument to all victims of the Battle of Stalingrad and three mass graves take care to the best of their ability local residents- students and teachers of school No. 114 and local TOS. The Austrian delegation, which comes to Peschanka every year, also contributes to the maintenance of the international memorial.
"Austrian Black Cross" - international public organization in Austria, founded in 1919 to organize soldier burials and care for the graves of soldiers of all nationalities. In addition, he deals with the burials of those killed during the bombings, victims of political repression and refugees. It exists through donations. The headquarters is located in Vienna.
Exactly 74 years ago, on February 2, 1943, victory was won in one of the bloodiest battles in human history. The Battle of Stalingrad took place under the motto from order No. 227 “Not a step back!” and was the most important turning point not only in the Great Patriotic War, but also in the Second World War. The main symbol of the Stalingrad victory was “Height 102” - Mamayev Kurgan, which during the battle passed from Soviet troops to the Germans and back more than once. Rambler/Travel talks about memorable places in Volgograd, which are worth visiting when you find yourself in the hero city.
Mamaev kurgan
The total losses of the Soviet and German sides in the Battle of Stalingrad exceed two million people. This is the most brutal battle in human history, and the memories that every square meter Mamayev Kurgan was soaked in blood, are not artistic exaggeration. Construction of the memorial under the leadership of architect Vuchetich lasted eight years. All elements of the memorial - squares, sculptures, bas-reliefs, monuments - are deeply symbolic. Including the path to the main monument of the memorial - the monument “The Motherland Calls!” There are exactly two hundred steps on it - just like exactly two hundred of the days that the Battle of Stalingrad lasted.
Ruin walls
The ascent to Mamayev Kurgan along the stairs past the ruin walls is accompanied by audio: the sound track includes reports from the front, which were read out by the main announcer of the Soviet Union Yuri Levitan, the noise of battle and war songs. The ruin walls, from 17 to 5 meters high, seem to transport you back to 1942. The left wall is dedicated to the oaths of the warriors-defenders of Stalingrad: “Not a step back!”, “On the offensive, comrades!”, “To Berlin!” The right wall depicts real battle scenes, including the defense of Pavlov's House and the heroic death of Mikhail Panikakhe.
Square of Those Who Stood to the Death
Mamayev Kurgan is a hill on the right bank of the Volga, located almost in the center of Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad), and, at the same time, it is main height Russia, sacred place for Russian people. It was here – on “Height 102” (as the mound was designated on military maps) – that during the Great Patriotic War, during the Battle of Stalingrad, fierce battles took place; Soviet soldiers fought to the death. Rising above the central part of the city, it was an important link in common system defense of the Stalingrad Front, since it allowed whoever controlled the top of the mound to control almost the entire city, Trans-Volga region and crossings across the Volga.
Since then, Mamayev Kurgan has become known to the whole world as the scene of some of the most fierce battles of the Second World War, and where its radical turn took place. It is here that today the monument-ensemble “To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad” is located - the largest and most majestic memorial complex dedicated to the victory of the Soviet troops in the Great Patriotic War.
The battles for this height lasted 135 days out of 200 days of the Battle of Stalingrad; the slopes of the mound were plowed with bombs, shells, and mines. And after the end of the fighting, the dead from all over the city began to be buried here - about 34.5 thousand people. At the same time, the idea arose of building a monument in the city, in memory of the great battle and the defenders of the Motherland who died here.
An all-Union competition for the design of the monument was announced immediately after the war, and all sorts of options were submitted. But by Stalin’s decision, E. Vuchetich was appointed the author of the future memorial, who by that time had already created a memorial in Berlin. A team of sculptors, architects, and engineers worked on the project under his leadership. By the way, the engineering group was led by Doctor of Technical Sciences N. Nikitin, the author of the calculations for the Ostankino TV tower. It was he who performed the most complex calculations of the stability of the structure of the monument “The Motherland is Calling!” And the main military consultant of the project was Marshal of the Soviet Union V. Chuikov, commander of the 62nd Army holding Hill 102 during the war.
In January 1958, the Council of Ministers of the USSR decided to begin construction of the monument, and in May 1959, construction work began, which was carried out intensively. Despite this, the scale and complexity of the composition of the planned ensemble required several years for its implementation. Large excavations were carried out, and it was here that reinforced concrete was used for the first time in the practice of constructing monuments.
The grand opening of the cultural and historical monument-ensemble “Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad” on Mamayev Kurgan took place on October 15, 1967.
This complex on Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd is unique today engineering structure and an architectural and sculptural ensemble united general plan, a general idea. Its total area is 26 hectares, and the length of the entire complex from the foot to the top of the hill is 1.5 km. Compositionally, it consists of architectural and spatial links, as if strung on a single axis. Following in one direction, one level gives way to another, and as it rises, more and more new elements of the composition are revealed.
The main elements of the monument-ensemble are the introductory high-relief composition “Memory of Generations”, the Alley of Pyramid Poplars, the Square of “Those Who Stood to the Death”, the ruin walls, the Square of Heroes, the retaining wall-relief, the Hall of Military Glory, the Square of Sorrow with the monument “Grieving Mother” , the monument “The Motherland Calls!”, a military memorial cemetery, a memorial arboretum at the foot of the mound, the Church of All Saints.
The main figure and compositional center of the entire ensemble is the monument “The Motherland Calls!”, which is located on a huge mound about 14 meters high, in which the remains of 34,505 soldiers - defenders of Stalingrad are buried. 200 granite steps lead from the foot of the mound to its top - the number of days of the Battle of Stalingrad. The sculpture itself “The Motherland is Calling!” amazes with its size and shape. It represents a 52-meter figure of a woman (it towers above the city and is visible for tens of kilometers), in her right hand sword 33 m long (weight 14 tons). The monument is made of reinforced concrete (5500 tons of concrete and 2400 tons of metal structures), and it was cast once, without allowing the concrete to harden so that there were no seams. Inside there are 99 steel ropes holding the structure together, a room for monitoring the condition of the ropes and a staircase. The statue stands on a slab 2 meters high (which lies on the main foundation), but is not connected to the foundation in any way, but is held by gravity.
In 2008, the monument-ensemble, after merging with the Panorama Museum "Battle of Stalingrad", was included in the list of federal monuments and became known as the State Historical and Memorial Museum-Reserve "Battle of Stalingrad". In the same year, he became one of the wonders of our country, winning the final of the “7 Wonders of Russia” competition.
Today, the historical and memorial complex “Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad” is the most visited monument in Russia - every year about three million people from Russia and other countries visit Mamayev Kurgan to see the unique creation of Soviet masters and honor the blessed memory heroic defenders Stalingrad.