Monuments to the Battle of Stalingrad. Notifications The largest monuments to the defenders of Stalingrad in the city

Monument-ensemble to the defenders of Stalingrad

The Nazi army concentrated about a million soldiers near Stalingrad, trying to break through to the Volga and capture an important industrial and strategic region of the country. For about two months there were battles on the outskirts of the city, and in September they broke out in the streets. One of the letters from the city’s defenders said: “By fighting today at Stalingrad, we understand that we are fighting not only for the city of Stalingrad. At Stalingrad we are defending our Motherland, defending everything that is dear to us, without which we cannot live...”

The famous Pavlov House became a symbol of the courage of the defenders of Stalingrad, in which a group of soldiers held the line for 58 days, repelling enemy attacks.

The phrase of one of the defenders of Stalingrad, sniper V.G. Zaitsev, became a catchphrase: “There is no land for us beyond the Volga!”

In the battles on the Volga Soviet Army withstood such an onslaught of the enemy that no other army in the world had to experience.

Mamayev Kurgan rises 102 meters above Stalingrad. For more than four months (September 1942 - January 1943) there were bloody battles for this height. Many times the top of the mound changed hands. Many times this height was taken by selfless Soviet soldiers, but after a day or two the Nazis concentrated superior forces of infantry, tanks, aviation, and artillery and again captured the peak. Only on January 26, 1943, all the surroundings of Mamayev Kurgan, all the adjacent heights were cleared of the enemy.

But how many of their comrades were buried by Soviet soldiers in the sacred land of Mamayev Kurgan, densely strewn with fragments from mines, bombs, and shells: for every square meter there were from 500 to 1250...

Immortal images of the defenders of Stalingrad are resurrected in the monumental Victory Monument erected on Mamayev Kurgan. The authors of the ensemble are a creative team led by the People's Artist of the USSR, sculptor E. Vuchetich and architect J. Belopolsky.

Opened in 1967, the monument includes a whole complex of architectural and sculptural structures. This is what he wrote on the days of the opening of the monument, in October 1967, folk artist USSR sculptor Evgeniy Vuchetich: “...In the Stalingrad epic, the nobility of soul and wonderful qualities of the Soviet people were revealed with extraordinary force. Here life triumphed over death, and those who passed away did not disappear into oblivion - they seemed to remain in the ranks, and the example of their feat called others to the feat.

The heroism of the Stalingraders is the heroism not only of individuals, but, above all, mass heroism generated by the great goal of the struggle. Here everything personal was not only lost, leveled - no, not at all, but given away in the name of the common. All the thoughts and actions of people merged together, every second everyone recognized themselves as an inextricable part of a huge fighting team. Here all the warriors knew that the fate of each of them depended on the success of the actions home country, the fate of all humanity...

All the years, while the artistic image was maturing in the mind, the project was being developed and the ensemble was being built, all of us, sculptors and artists, architects and builders, people of many professions, are mine dear friends who worked on the creation of the monument on Mamayev Kurgan, carried in their hearts the memory of the heroes of the great battle...

The monument to the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad is a monument to the greatest historical event. This is a monument to a mass of heroes. And therefore we were looking for large-scale, especially monumental solutions and forms that, in our opinion, would allow us to most fully convey the scope of mass heroism. After all, it is absolutely clear that the concept of heroism of a people is disproportionately broader than the concept of heroism of an individual. Therefore, such content could not be embodied in the usual type of monuments representing a single- or multi-figure composition on a pedestal. It is the monument-ensemble, like highest form monumental art, opened the way to revealing the meaning and significance of the Battle of Stalingrad, with a lot of planning, variously embodying specific artistic images V various types sculpture, in its synthesis with architecture and nature.

This is how the composition “Fight to the Death” was born, in which we sought to give a generalized image of the hero of Stalingrad. This is how the image of a ruined wall arose, where we wanted, as if through the haze of time, to show the episodes of the battle emerging in memory, the oath of the Soviet soldiers and the offensive of our troops. This is how the content of the six two-figure compositions on the Heroes' Square or the heavily incised drawings, dedicated to the struggle and triumph of the Stalingraders, were decided on the retaining wall at the end of this square.

The lofty goals of the struggle led our warriors to great deeds. Every day heroes died, and every day provided examples of new self-sacrifice. The warriors who became related in battle fell asleep in eternal sleep in mass graves. They are still nearby, just as they were in battle. Their names shine on the purple mosaic banners at half-mast in the Hall of Military Glory on the Square of Sorrow.

The theme of inconsolable maternal grief was to be embodied in a 12-meter allegorical sculptural composition at the other end of the square.

The warriors laid down their heads in the name of the triumph of life, in the name of victory over the forces of evil, violence and death. This was the meaning of self-sacrifice and exploits. This is the main content of the monument, which we tried to embody in the main monument crowning the mound - “The Motherland is Calling!”

The monument-ensemble begins with an introductory composition - a high relief at the foot of Mamayev Kurgan - “Memory of Generations”.

The steps of a wide staircase lead visitors to an alley of pyramidal poplars. The sculptural compositions of the monument-ensemble open before your eyes. According to the author's intention, all this prepares the viewer to comprehend main topic monument.

The composition “Fight to the Death” reflects the most difficult period of the Battle of the Volga. As if from the greatest Russian river, a warrior-hero rises and stands in defense of his hometown. Lips’ courageous and strong-willed face was touched by a contemptuous smile. There is determination in the eyes, unquenchable hatred for the enemy, a thirst for victory that stronger than death. A warrior-hero is a deeply emotional, generalized image Soviet people.

Behind the composition “Fight to the Death” there are two destroyed city walls, as if converging in perspective.

Wall-ruins - a stone book, a heroic chronicle. "Every house is a fortress." This and many other inscriptions tell a moving story of the struggle for life. Soldiers used a shell fragment, a bayonet, or a piece of metal to leave their autographs between battles.

The theme of the soldier's oath and loyalty to it runs through all the images of the left wall. The warrior stood at his full heroic height on Stalingrad soil, covering the city with himself. A huge wound in his chest. But how much strength, how much anger, contempt for death, call for revenge in this face! He fought steadfastly to the end. Despite the dramatic content, the sculpture glorifies the life-affirming beauty of the feat. At the end of the left wall there is a symbolic image. From the stone, as if from the depths of time, ranks of fighters emerge. Their faces are motionless.

The right wall - the second part of the stone book - tells about the heroic struggle on the streets of the city. It begins with the image of a soldier, formidable and decisive, who proudly says: “I am from the 62nd!” - and rushes into battle. Dozens of inscriptions made in different handwritings, different people. They were not invented by the author, they were transferred from the walls of the destroyed city, from documents of those years.

“A machine gun on your neck, 10 grenades at hand, courage in your heart - act!” - wrote the commander of the famous 62nd Army V.I. Chuikov in the instructions for assault groups.

On the next terrace is the Heroes' Square. Six sculptural compositions depict the exploits of warriors: soldiers and commanders, women fighters, brave sailors. The last, sixth, symbolic: two Soviet soldiers break the swastika and kill the snake. This is a symbol of the victory of the Soviet people over fascism.

On a retaining wall with an area of ​​about a thousand square meters- a relief depicting the advance of Soviet troops near Stalingrad, the capture of the Nazis, a meeting of the victors.

The entrance to the Hall of Military Glory is sternly and strictly decorated. The hanging ceilings and gray concrete slabs resemble a dugout. But here sharp turn- and before your eyes is a magnificent hall sparkling with gold. It has the shape of a cylinder. Its internal dimensions are: height 13.5 meters, diameter 41 meters. Against a background of golden smalt, red banners hang along the entire perimeter of the wall; they are also made of smalt. The names of soldiers who died in the Battle of Stalingrad are inscribed on the mosaic banners. The list of the dead fills the hall from top to bottom. Above the banners there is a wide ribbon and on it the inscription: “Yes, we were mere mortals, and few of us survived, but we all fulfilled our patriotic duty to the end before the sacred Mother Motherland!” In the center of the ceiling, decorated with images of orders, there is an opening with a diameter of eleven meters.

In the square there is a bowed figure of a woman-mother. Before burying her dead son, she hugged him and plunged into boundless grief. The warrior's face is covered with a banner. The composition is made in concrete, but the sculptor seems to transform it into an elastic and almost transparent material, through which the outlines of the dead soldier’s face seem to shine through.

Above the Square of Sorrow rises a mound - the holy of holies of the monument - the mass graves of the city's defenders. The graves, decorated with tombstones, are located on both sides of the serpentine path leading from the square to the main monument. The entire ensemble is crowned by a sculpture of the Motherland. Raising her sword high, she calls for a fight: victory on the Volga is not yet a final victory over fascism; there were years of war ahead. The Motherland called upon the soldiers to expel the fascist invaders from Soviet soil and liberate the peoples of Europe from the Hitlerite yoke. The monument, like the entire monument-ensemble, is made of concrete. The material itself emphasizes the harsh nature of the struggle and feat of the Soviet people.

The Motherland Monument is visible from all parts of the city, both from a ship sailing along the Volga and from the window of a passing train. From the top of the mound a wide panorama of the revived flourishing hero city opens.

Representatives of foreign countries who came here after great battle, believed that it was impossible to revive the city. Former Ambassador USA in the Soviet Union Davis, seeing the ruins of streets and factory buildings, said: “This city is dead, and you will not restore it. What died, died. I don’t know that anyone has risen from the dead.” Western diplomats advised surrounding the ruins with wire and leaving them as a huge historical museum.

But soviet people decided otherwise. Through their efforts, the hero city was revived. It became the largest industrial and cultural center and the port of the five seas.

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Awards

Medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad"

On the front side of the medal is a group of fighters with rifles at the ready. Above a group of fighters, with right side medals, a banner flutters, and on the left side you can see the outlines of tanks and planes flying one after another. At the top of the medal, above the group of fighters, there is a five-pointed star and the inscription along the edge of the medal “FOR THE DEFENSE OF STALINGRAD.”

On the reverse side of the medal is the inscription “FOR OUR SOVIET MOTHERLAND.” Above the inscription are a hammer and sickle.

The medal “For the Defense of Stalingrad” was awarded to all participants in the defense of Stalingrad - servicemen of the Red Army, Navy and NKVD troops, as well as civilians who took a direct part in the defense. The period of defense of Stalingrad is considered to be July 12 - November 19, 1942.

As of January 1, 1995, the medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad" was awarded to approximately 759 561 Human.

In Volgograd, on the headquarters building of military unit No. 22220, there was a huge wall panel depicting a medal.

Monuments to the Battle of Stalingrad

  • · Mamayev Kurgan - " main height Russia." During the Battle of Stalingrad, some of the fiercest battles took place here. Today, a monument-ensemble “To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad” has been erected on Mamayev Kurgan. The central figure of the composition is the sculpture “The Motherland is Calling!” It is one of the seven wonders of Russia.
  • · Panorama “The defeat of the Nazi troops at Stalingrad” - painting on the theme of the Battle of Stalingrad, located on the Central Embankment of the city. Opened in 1982.
  • · “Lyudnikov Island” - an area of ​​700 meters along the Volga bank and 400 meters in depth (from the river bank to the territory of the Barricades plant), the defense area of ​​the 138th Red Banner Rifle Division under the command of Colonel I.I. Lyudnikova.
  • · The destroyed mill is a building that has not been restored since the war, an exhibit of the “Battle of Stalingrad” museum.
  • · “Rodimtsev’s Wall” - a quay wall that serves as shelter from massive bombings by German aircraft for soldiers of the rifle division of Major General A.I. Rodimtseva.
  • · The "House of Soldier's Glory", also known as the "Pavlov's House" - a brick building that occupied a dominant position over the surrounding area.
  • · Alley of Heroes - wide street connects the embankment to them. 62nd Army near the Volga River and the Square of Fallen Fighters.
  • · On September 8, 1985, a memorial monument dedicated to the Heroes was opened here Soviet Union and full holders of the Order of Glory, natives Volgograd region and the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad. Artwork executed by the Volgograd branch of the RSFSR Art Fund under the direction of the city’s chief artist M.Ya. Pyshty. The team of authors included the chief architect of the project A.N. Klyuchishchev, architect A.S. Belousov, designer L. Podoprigora, artist E.V. Gerasimov. On the monument are the names (surnames and initials) of 127 Heroes of the Soviet Union, who received this title for heroism in the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942-1943, 192 Heroes of the Soviet Union - natives of the Volgograd region, of whom three are twice Heroes of the Soviet Union, and 28 holders of the Order of Glory of three degrees.
  • · Poplar on the Alley of Heroes is a historical and natural monument of Volgograd, located on the Alley of Heroes. The poplar survived the Battle of Stalingrad and has numerous evidence of military action on its trunk.

in the world

Stalingrad Avenue in Brussels

Named in honor of the Battle of Stalingrad:

  • · Stalingrad Square (Paris) - a square in Paris.
  • · Stalingrad Avenue (Brussels) - in Brussels.

In many countries, including France, Great Britain, Belgium, Italy and a number of other countries, streets, gardens, and squares were named after the battle. Only in Paris is the name “Stalingrad” given to a square, a boulevard and one of the metro stations. In Lyon there is the so-called “Stalingrad” bracant, where the third largest antique market in Europe is located.

Also named after Stalingrad main street city ​​of Bologna.

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 between governments Russian Federation and the Federal Republic of Germany an agreement was concluded 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 soldiers and officers of the German side 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.

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 administration of Volgograd and the administration of the 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 the 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 about 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. - For recent 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 During the days of the Battle of Stalingrad (1942-1943), there were stubborn battles on Mamayev Kurgan, located in the central part of Volgograd (from 1925 to 1961 - Stalingrad), 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, People's Artist of the USSR sculptor Evgeniy Vuchetich became the author and leader of the team of builders, and Yakov Belopolsky became the chief architect. 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 climb 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. V.I. 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 pictured ribbon from the medal: “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 twice Hero of the 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