Mamaev Kurgan description and photo - Russia - South: Volgograd
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Mamaev Kurgan description and photos - Russia - South: Volgograd. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photos and a map showing the nearest significant objects. Photo and descriptionMamaev Kurgan became the site of fierce battles during the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942-1943 . Now there is a grandiose ensemble-monument to the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad, which is a world-recognized masterpiece of monumental art. This is the largest and most impressive monument dedicated to the events of the Great Patriotic War. History of creationThe idea of immortalizing the crucial Battle of Stalingrad was born on the Mamayev Kurgan even before the end military action. Even then there were mass graves . A new memorial cemetery was opened in 1995 - they continue to find the victims of the war in the city and bury them here. In total, about thirty-five thousand people are buried on the Mamaev Kurgan. In 1959, it was decided to turn this entire territory into a monument to the heroism of the defenders of the fatherland . First, it was necessary to carry out demining work, then the mound itself was poured several meters and fortified. Since the ensemble was conceived to be monumental, it required the participation of engineers in its development. Such an engineer was N. Nikitin . The art project was developed by a famous sculptor - E. Vuchetich . Himself a participant in the Great Patriotic War, he is known for his works glorifying the heroism of Soviet soldiers and portraits of famous political figures. His most famous sculpture is the Warrior-Liberator in Treptower Park. The entire memorial complex turned out to be unique - it includes not only sculptural groups, but also sound design made by the sound engineer A. Geraskin . The famous speaker Yu. Levitan . The complex was personally opened by Leonid Brezhnev in 1967 , to the 25th anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad. On this day, a special capsule with an appeal to descendants was embedded in the mound. It should be opened in 2045. Memorial complex The most famous monument, one of the world famous symbols of Russia, is a huge sculpture "Motherland Calls!" Its height is 85 meters. This is a monument, hollow inside, cast at one time without seams. Steel ropes are tied inside it. The figure of the Motherland, located at the highest point, is the compositional center and dominance of the entire huge complex, all views are attracted to it, it is remembered and photographed. The complex begins with the entrance high relief "Memory of Generations" , from which the poplar alley opens. The high relief depicts a funeral procession from people of different generations, who came to honor the memory of the heroes. Nearby there is a granite stele erected in memory of the opening of the memorial - on it there is a quote from L.I. Brezhnev. Next to the stele there are twelve pedestals, in which the land of twelve hero cities is laid. Poplar Alley is designed so that it offers a view of the Motherland. The alley rises above the surroundings, because it is drawn along an artificial embankment. Around the alley there is a park , which is also a memorial. It was destroyed even before the start of work on the mound itself - in 1965. The famous Widows Garden was located here, where women who lost their husbands during the war planted trees. Famous political and public figures planted memorial trees here. But such a park in the conditions of the Volgograd climate required a lot of maintenance, little funds were allocated for it, and during the years of perestroika they were no longer allocated at all. Unfortunately, there is practically nothing left of the memorial trees and tablets of those times. Aged and neglected trees have been cut down in recent years. At the moment, the park has been significantly reconstructed. A well-equipped parking lot, an exhibition of military equipment, bike paths, cafes and toilets appeared. The main park object is a huge singing fountain framed by six illuminated arches . Here new alleys have been laid out and more than three thousand new trees and bushes have been planted. Specially selected breeds resistant to the southern climate. The main alley of the new park is called the Alley of Russia. The alley rests on the " Square of those who stood to death " located at the foot of the Mamaev Kurgan. There is a round pool here, and above it there is a rock with a sculpture "Stand to the death!" The warrior depicted is a collective image, but at the same time it looks like Marshal V. Chuikov , who commanded the 62nd Army, and then became a military consultant for this memorial. The pool symbolizes the Volga, which became the main natural border along which the city was defended. a staircase of 200 steps leads to the next site , according to the number of days of the Battle of Stalingrad, on the sides of which " Walls-ruins "- high reliefs , telling about the siege of Stalingrad and having the appearance of ruins destroyed by bombing. In the Heroes' Square around the next pool there are six sculptural compositions , symbolizing different stages of the battle. “Having stood, we will win”, “Sailor”, “Nurse”, “Standard bearer”, “Commander” and “The collapse of fascism”. All compositions are based on the same principle - each consists of two figures. A nurse carries a wounded soldier on her, a standard-bearer picks up the banner from the hands of a killed comrade, two soldiers, old and young, destroying the swastika, etc. Under the mound itself is the entrance to the " Hall of Military Glory ". It is a circular building over forty meters in diameter. It was designed uniquely - in the center there is an eternal flame in the form of a hand holding a torch, and in the opening in place of the dome, the figure of the Motherland is visible. The walls are decorated with images of red replacements in mourning ribbons - they are made of red smalt. 7200 names of the soldiers killed in the Battle of Stalingrad are written on them. Schumann's funeral music always plays here. Initially, this building was built for the panorama of the Battle of Stalingrad, but in the end the panorama was housed in a separate building. It also has its own "Hall of Fame", made according to the same model, only without the Eternal Flame and the opening to the sky. The "Hall of Fame" always contains guard of honor carried by soldiers of a special company of the guard of honor. It changes every hour. After leaving the hall, the viewer enters “ Square of Sorrow ". The central sculpture is " Grieving Mother ", bending over her murdered son. The sculpture is eleven meters high. It is under it that the most famous " Tomb of the Unknown Soldier " is located with a chased inscription: "Your name is unknown, your feat is immortal." Next to her is the tombstone of Marshal Viktor Chuikov. Nearby is the almost dry and abandoned "Spring of Life" - once it was the only source of water for the defenders of "Hill 102". Its improvement is planned. A circular path leads to the mound itself, along which plates with the names of the heroes who fell during the defense of the city are installed . There are thirty-seven such plates in total. They lead to the platform on which the "Motherland Calls!" Statue is located. military cemetery founded in 1995 is also located here. In 2006, Vladimirskaya chapel appeared on it. "Height 102" and the Temple of All SaintsThe highest point of the mound, " height 102 " during the war, was not quite where the grandiose monument. It is about a hundred meters from the figure of the Motherland and is now located below it - the statue stands on a specially poured mound. "Height 102" is marked with a commemorative sign. Here is the very first - Small - mass grave , at which there is a monument in the form of a soldier girl who mourns for the dead. On the southeastern slope of the height there is a German bunker , converted by the Germans from the Soviet dugout. Now it is abandoned, but it is planned to restore it. In the 90s, there was an idea to erect a temple in memory of the fallen on Mamayev Kurgan . The location of the temple was moved several times - initially they were going to put it next to the building of the panorama of the Battle of Stalingrad, then it was moved to the mound itself, to "height 102" and the Small mass grave. Construction took place from 2000 to 2004. Since the entire complex is a complex technical structure, the construction of the temple next to it was not easy. It stands on 27-meter concrete piles that support the weight of the structure, and at the same time strengthen the mound itself. The building itself is a classic cross-domed temple with five chapters. It is built of white bricks. The interior of the temple was created in 2010. Several beaded icons depicting saints who patronize the defenders of the fatherland are unique: St. Dmitry Donskoy, St. John the Warrior and St. Alexander Nevsky. Museum of I. StalinIn addition to the panoramic museum on Mamayev Kurgan, in 2006 another museum appeared - the Museum of I. Stalin. The cultural center "Stalingrad", in which it is located, was founded by the philanthropist and businessman Vasily Bukhtienko . The museum exposition tells about the activities of the young Stalin in Tsaritsyn in 1918, the history of the renaming of the city, the activities of the Generalissimo during the Great Patriotic War, and also the Kremlin cabinet of Stalin was recreated - with the wax leader himself rising from the table. The founder of the museum was killed a few years after its creation under unclear circumstances, but the museum continues to work. Interesting factsAccording to legend, it was here, on the Mamayev Kurgan, that the khan was buried Mamay. Over forty thousand mines and unexploded shells were recovered from the Mamayev Kurgan during demining. The Statue of the Motherland with a sword is 8 meters below the American Statue of Liberty. But the height of the female figure itself is 6 meters higher. Note
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