Volgograd

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“Stalingrad” redirects here. For other uses, see Stalingrad (disambiguation).
Volgograd (English)
Волгоград (Russian)

Volgograd train station

Volgograd on the map of European Russia
Coordinates
48°42′N 44°31′E / 48.7, 44.517Coordinates: 48°42′N 44°31′E / 48.7, 44.517
Coat of Arms Flag
City Day: Second Sunday of September
Administrative status
Federal subject
In jurisdiction of
Administrative center of		 Volgograd Oblast
Volgograd Oblast
Volgograd Oblast
Local self-government
Charter Charter of the Hero City Volgograd
Municipal status Urban okrug
Head Roman Grebennikov
Legislative body City Duma
Area
Area 565 km² (218.1 sq mi)
Population (as of the 2002 Census)
Population
- Rank
- Density
 1,011,417 inhabitants
12th
1,790.1/km² (4,636.3/sq mi)
Events
Founded 1555
Town status 1780
Renamed Stalingrad 1925
Renamed Volgograd 1961
Other information
Postal code 400001..400138
Dialing code +7 8442
Official website
http://www.volgadmin.ru

Volgograd (Russian: Волгогра́д (help·info)), formerly called Tsaritsyn (Russian: Цари́цын (help·info)) (1598–1925) and Stalingrad (Russian: Сталингра́д (help·info)) (1925–1961) is a city and the administrative center of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. It is situated on the west bank of the Volga River.

Contents

[edit] History

Volgograd originated with the foundation in 1589 of the fortress of Tsaritsyn at the confluence of the Tsaritsa and Volga Rivers. The fortress, which took its name from the local name Sary Su (Yellow Water/River in the Tatar language), was established to defend the unstable southern border of Tsarist Russia and became the nucleus of a trading settlement. It was captured twice by Cossack rebels, under Stenka Razin in the rebellion of 1670 and Yemelyan Pugachev in 1774. Tsaritsyn became an important river port and commercial centre in the 19th century.

The city was the scene of heavy fighting during the Russian Civil War. Bolshevik forces occupied it during 1918, but were attacked by White forces under Anton Ivanovich Denikin. During the battle for Tsaritsyn the Bolsheviks were pushed back and surrounded at first, and only the actions of Josef Dzhugashvili (nicknamed 'Stalin'), then local chairman of the military committee, saved the city for the Bolsheviks. Stalin did so by recalling Zhloba's 'Steel Division' from the Caucasus which attacked the White Forces in the rear. In honor of Stalin's efforts in defending the city, it was renamed Stalingrad (literally: "Stalin city") in 1925. The name change is typical of the way towns and cities were re-named after Bolshevik leaders and heroes during Soviet times. (See also List of places named after Stalin.)

The Motherland Calls on the Mamayev Kurgan- the largest statue in the world when erected in 1967
The Motherland Calls on the Mamayev Kurgan- the largest statue in the world when erected in 1967

Under Stalin, the city became heavily industrialized and was developed as a centre of heavy industry and trans-shipment by rail and river. During World War II (Great Patriotic War), the city of Stalingrad became the center of the Battle of Stalingrad as well as the pivotal turning point in the war against Germany. The battle lasted from August 21, 1942 to February 2, 1943. In terms of loss of human life, 1.7 million to 2 million Axis and Soviet soldiers were either killed, wounded or captured, as well as over 50,000 civilians killed. The city was reduced to rubble during the fierce fighting, but reconstruction began soon after the Germans were expelled from the city.

For the heroism shown during the battle, Stalingrad was awarded the title Hero City in 1945, and King George VI of the United Kingdom awarded the citizens of Stalingrad a jewelled sword in appreciation of the bravery that they had shown. A memorial complex commemorating the battle, dominated by an immense allegorical sculpture of Mother Russia, was erected on the Mamayev Kurgan, a hill that saw some of the most intense fighting during the battle. A number of cities around the world (especially ones that had suffered particularly badly during the war) established sister/friendship links (see list below). It was also the world's first 'twin city' when it formed a twinning relationship with the English city of Coventry during World War II (as both suffered heavy bombing).

Picture taken from the top of Mamayev Kurgan and looking down over the Volga river.
Picture taken from the top of Mamayev Kurgan and looking down over the Volga river.

The Panorama museum, which is located alongside the Volga river, contains artefacts from World War II. These include a panoramic painting of the battlefield from the location of the monument "Mamayev Kurgan." Here a rifle of the famous sniper Vasily Zaytsev, who was featured in the film Enemy at the Gates, can also be found.

In 1961, the city's name was changed to Volgograd ("Volga City") as part of Nikita Khrushchev's programme of destalinization. This was and remains somewhat contentious, given the fame of the name Stalingrad, and there were once serious proposals to change the name back during Konstantin Chernenko's brief administration in 1985. There is still a strong degree of local support for a reversion and proposals have been made from time to time, though as yet none have been accepted by the Russian government.

Volgograd on the 1979 map
Volgograd on the 1979 map

[edit] Economy

Modern Volgograd is still an important industrial city. Its industries include shipbuilding, oil refining, steel and aluminium production, manufacture of machinery and vehicles, and chemical production. A large hydroelectric power plant stands a short distance to the north of Volgograd.

[edit] Transport

Volgograd is a major railway junction with links to Moscow, the Donbas region of Ukraine, the Caucasus, and Siberia. It stands at the east end of the Volga-Don Canal, opened in 1952 to link the two great rivers of southern Russia.

European route E40, the longest European route connecting Calais, France with Ridder, Kazakhstan, passes through Volgograd.

Volgograd's public transport system includes a light rail service known as the Volgograd metrotram.

[edit] Education

Educational institutions include Volgograd State University, Volgograd State Technical University (former Volgograd Polytechnical University), Volgograd State Medical University, Volgograd Academy of State Service, Volgograd Academy of Industry, and Volgograd State Pedagogical University.

Theater of Volgograd
Theater of Volgograd
Stalingrad, midtown, following the battle
Stalingrad, midtown, following the battle

[edit] Sister cities

As of 2006, Volgograd had 19 sister cities[1][2]:

A number of communities in France have streets or avenues named after Stalingrad, hence Place de la Bataille de Stalingrad in Paris and the eponymous Paris Métro station of Stalingrad.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

[edit] References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ [2]


Coat of arms of Volgograd Oblast Cities and towns in Volgograd Oblast Flag of Volgograd Oblast
Administrative center: Volgograd

Dubovka | Frolovo | Kalach-na-Donu | Kamyshin | Kotelnikovo | Kotovo | Krasnoslobodsk | Leninsk | Mikhaylovka | Nikolayevsk | Novoanninsky | Pallasovka | Petrov Val | Serafimovich | Surovikino | Uryupinsk | Volzhsky | Zhirnovsk
v • d • e
Hero Cities of the former Soviet Union

Leningrad · Odessa · Sevastopol · Stalingrad · Kiev · Brest Fortress · Moscow · Kerch · Novorossiysk · Minsk · Tula · Murmansk · Smolensk
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volgograd"
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