Volgograd (Волгоград)
Volgograd used to be called Tsaritsyn (Царицын) from 1589 to 1925 and was then renamed Stalingrad (Сталинград) in honor of Joseph Stalin. In 1961, Nikita Khrushchev's administration renamed the city Volgograd as part of de-Stalinization.
Volgograd was originally founded as the fortress of Tsaritsyn in 1589. By the 19th century it had become an important port on the Volga River.
Most people know the city only from the battles fought there during WWII. The city was heavily damaged during these battles and it was rebuilt in Soviet style, which means that there are numerous grim museums and huge monuments.
- The Mamayev Kurgan Memorial Complex is a memorial complex commemorating the battle of Stalingrad. It is dominated by the 85m (279 ft) high The Motherland Calls statue, which was erected to honour the heroes that died during the battle.
- The Panorama Museum is a large cultural complex that is dedicated to the Battle of Stalingrad. It includes Gerhardt's Mill, which is preserved in its bombed out state. The museum features Soviet military equipment from the 1940s and exhibits of weapons.
- Across the street from the Panorama Museum is Pavlov's House, which is a surviving monument from the Battle of Stalingrad.
- There are several monuments and memorials nearby, including a statue of Lenin, a statue in honor of children who survived a war and another statue in honour of the defenders of Pavlov's House.
- The Musical Instrument Museum is a branch of the Volgograd regional Museum of local lore.
- The Volgograd Planetarium was a gift from East Germany in honor of what would have been Stalin's 70th birthday. It was opened in 1954.
- The Holy Spirit Monastery was inaugurated in 1911.
- The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was built from 1901 to 1918. By the time it was completed, it immediately fell out of use and the Soviet authoroties closed it in 1929. It was demolished in 1932. Rebuiltding started in 2016 and in 2021 it was consecrated.
- The chapel boat of Saint Vladimir of Volgograd is a self-propelled floating church that was originally a decommissioned landing craft. It took two years to convert it into a floating church and work was completed in 2004.
- The Volgograd Synagogue is also known as Beit David Synagogue. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century, heavily damaged during WWII amd restored in 2003.
There are also sandy beaches in town.
Volgograd is one of the cities that can be visited when making a cruise on the Volga River.
The city is 915 km southeast of Moscow. There are numerous hotels and restaurants in Volgograd.
Because of random arrests of foreigners it is not recommended to travel to Volgograd (Волгоград), or any other destination in Russia at this moment.
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