Volgograd

Stretching along the banks of the mighty river Volga in Southern Russia is the city of Volgograd. It was here that some of the most destructive fighting of World War II took place. The original name of the city was Tsaritsyn but during World War II, the city had a different name…Stalingrad. It stood in the path of the advancing German army on their way to the oil fields of the Caucasus. Hitler wanted the oil, Stalin did not want the city bearing his name to fall. This lead to a bloody war of attrition with no quarter being given by either side. The cost in human lives was high with nearly 2 million people being killed during the few months of the battle. The city itself suffered badly too with around 95% of the buildings were destroyed. After the war, German prisoners were forced to rebuild much of the city on the orders of Joseph Stalin. He reasoned that as the Germans destroyed the city, they would also rebuild it

Today, more than 1 million people call Volgograd home. Upon landing at the airport at Gumrak which was used as a German airstrip during the battle, the terminal building proudly states “Hero City Volgograd”. The layout of the city is a little unusual as it is a long thin urban area no more than 3 miles wide but stretching for more than 50 miles along the banks of the Volga. The over-whelming majority of the city is on the Western bank of the river.

Unlike Moscow which is more of a foreign tourist destination, the road signs in Volgograd are generally only in Cyrillic and a smaller number of people speak English. However, some of the cafes and restaurants do have menus in both Russian and English. There is little in the way of tourist information available so those planning an visit to Volgograd without engaging the services of a guide should aim to gather information prior to arrival.

There are a number of hotels in the centre of Volgograd offering a range of accommodation. They tend to be Soviet era hotels that have been modernised and in some cases taken over by hotel chains such as Best Eastern. Some of them are located close together on Mira Ulitsa (Peace Road), a few minutes walk from the banks of the Volga.

The traffic in the city is a lot less frantic than in Moscow and there always seemed to be parking spaces on the street close to the hotel despite the fact it is right in the centre of the city. Most of the time, drivers would stop at pedestrian crossings as they are supposed to but it shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Not surprisingly, there are monuments and memorials all over the city to the fighting that took place here during World War II. The most prominent point of interest is Mamayev Hill with the imposing statue of Mother Russia wielding a sword and urging the country forward. This impressive statue is visible for miles. From the top, you can look down the hill into the city on beyond to the River Volga. During the battle, Soviet soldiers would cross the river from the Eastern side and charge up the hill straight into the fighting. There are many other places to visit for those interested in the events of the Battle of Stalingrad including the Panoramic Museum, Lyudnikov’s Island and the Department Store Museum.

The fighting also raged many miles from the city and for those spending a bit longer in the area, it is worth engaging the services of a guide to visit places like the German cemetery at Rossoshka and Kalach on Don that are also significant places in the history of the city.