Years and decades will pass, new generations will replace us. But here, at the foot of the majestic Victory Monument, the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the heroes will come. Flowers and children will be brought here. Here, thinking about the past and dreaming about the future, people will remember those who died defending the eternal fire of life (inscription on the slab at the entrance to the Mamayev Kurgan)
The main height of Russia, where the fate of Russian civilization was decided. A place where there was a continuous battle for 200 days. Eight times the enemy managed to break into the mound, and eight times the Red Army fought back a strategically important position. The height "102, 0" on the right bank of the Volga became a turning point in the history of the Second World War. The greatest battle in the history of Mankind took place here. Here Soviet soldiers stood to death. The future of this world was determined here. The remains of over 34 thousand soldiers and officers of the Red Army are buried in mass graves here.
I suggest readers to take a sightseeing tour to Mamayev Kurgan, where half a century ago, under the leadership of E. Vuchetich, a grandiose monument-ensemble "To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad" was erected, popularly known as "The Motherland Calls!" A landmark place that has become one of the symbols of the Great Victory.
The review will present a compilation of photographic materials from several visits to Mamaev Kurgan - the reader will have the opportunity to see how this place looks like day and night, on holidays and on weekdays. Even on the most ordinary cloudy morning, the complex is visited by crowds of people - it is quite difficult to choose the right angle so that a stranger does not appear in the frame.
The historical and memorial complex is located directly within the city limits, in the central part of Stalingrad. The popularity of Motherland is extremely high - the car parking of Mamayev Kurgan surprises with a variety of rooms in all regions of Russia. Indeed, there is something to see here - the main sculpture "The Motherland Calls!" twice the height of the American "Statue of Liberty" (85 versus 46 meters).
Entrance area. We stand with our backs to the Volga, facing the Kurgan - the enemy was advancing precisely from this direction. On the way to the main monument, you need to overcome 200 granite steps - according to the number of days of the Battle of Stalingrad (not counting the sloping ramps and soaring avenues). Climbing the first group of steps, we get to Alley of pyramidal poplars.
Under the alley, at the foot of the mound, there is a railway line - every Uralian or Siberian on the way to the Black Sea will certainly pass by the Motherland. On May 9, dozens of red flags adorn the path to the monument, which gives the place a special solemnity.
From the Alley of pyramidal poplars, going up 6 meters along a three-flight staircase, we get to the legendary Square "Fought to the Death!" … The face of the figure of a soldier with a grenade raised above his head belongs to Marshal V. I. Chuikov - the commander of the 62nd Army, the man who directly led the defense of Stalingrad. One of the most photogenic places on the Mamayev Kurgan, an integral part of all sets of postcards with a view of the city.
Our path lies upward - along the steep granite steps we rise closer to the sky. On both sides of the staircase, gigantic ruined walls with bas-reliefs depicting the defenders of the city rose up. Here, day and night, in the heat and blizzard, powerful loudspeakers broadcast the chronicle of the war years: messages from the Soviet Information Bureau, interrupted by the crackle of machine-gun bursts and the howl of aircraft engines. Songs of the war years are played periodically.
… There are fierce battles at Stalingrad, our army repels numerous enemy attacks …
Impressive.
New "location". Heroes Square with six sculptural groups.
Most of the area is occupied by a rectangular pool in granite shores. In view of the increased incidence of blasphemous behavior of visitors, do not try to desecrate the monument by crawling knee-deep in water and pick up numerous coins from the bottom - an immediate punishment will follow from the guards of law and order. Never disturb the peace of fallen soldiers. Behave with dignity - CCTV cameras are installed at every step on Mamayev Kurgan.
On the right side of the pool are six massive sculptures of the city's defenders. All works are based on the contrast of standing and defeated figures. The comrade in arms is dead, and the sailor, picking up the last bunch of grenades, rushes to meet the enemy. The standard bearer is killed, but the strong hands of another soldier grabbed the banner. A nurse with a wounded man on her shoulders … new ranks of soldiers are replacing the fallen. Having survived, we will win! A particularly symbolic extreme, the sixth sculpture: soldiers twisted and threw a fascist hydra into the dustbin of world history.
This place is always surprisingly quiet. The wind dies down and the sky is reflected in the smooth mirror of the pool. Nothing will disturb the peace of the dead. Sleeping heroes always watch their birch dreams.
An iron wind beat in the face, and they all went forward, and again a feeling of superstitious fear gripped the enemy: were people going to attack, were they mortal?
The square ends and an impassable wall rises in front of us. On the bas-relief is a granite army of victors. Under the feet of the Soviet soldiers there is a gray mass of captured Germans. Fascist warriors wanted to see the Volga? The Red Army gave them this opportunity.
The further path lies underground, we enter the kingdom of the dead. Behind the bend of the dark tunnel - the entrance to Hall of Military Glory.
Guard of honor. The hand holding the torch of the Eternal Flame … But what is it? The walls of the pantheon have thirty-four huge floor-to-ceiling mosaics. On each, in two rows, there is an endless list of the names of the fallen heroes. In fear you turn back - and again names, names, names … And above them, on the ceiling - a star cluster of military orders.
The Hall of Fame is crowned with a guards ribbon: We were mere mortals, and few survived from us, but we all fulfilled our patriotic duty to the sacred Mother Motherland
Mamaev Kurgan is one of the few places in Russia where the Honor Guard is constantly on duty. There is a post at the Eternal Flame and one more, at the exit from the pantheon. Posture, stand, posture - all at the highest level. Each time the change of the Guard of Honor causes an incredible stir among visitors - the soldiers march, clearly typing a step, through half of the mound.
Unfortunately, it was not possible to establish the exact time and frequency of the changing of the guard (according to our own feelings - about 40 minutes). Usually, during an excursion to Mamayev Kurgan (at least a couple of hours), you can repeatedly observe this exciting sacred action.
Climbing the spiral of the ramp, we leave the Hall of Military Glory and find ourselves on a new level - Sorrow Square. This place is sad. Quiet pond, weeping willows. The figure of a mother bending over her dead son.
Marshal Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov rests in front of the Square of Sorrow, from where a breathtaking view of the lower levels of the mound opens. The only Soviet marshal who bequeathed to bury himself not in Moscow, but in a mass grave, next to his soldiers, in the city he once defended.
The serpentine alley soars up, to the place where the figure "Motherland calls!" Sparkles in the sun's rays. The mass graves of Soviet soldiers lie under the green lawns of the hill. A long row of commemorative granite slabs. Hero of the Soviet Union Sergeant Nurken Abdirov. Eternal glory! Hero of the Soviet Union Captain Mikhail Dmitrievich Baranov. Eternal glory!
We're getting closer.
The scariest inscription. She was only 18 …
One more turn of the alley - and we are at the top of the mound! Here the gigantic figure "The Motherland Calls!" - a modern interpretation of the ancient goddess of victory Nike, which calls on his sons and daughters to repulse the enemy and continue the further offensive.
One of the Seven Wonders of Russia. 5,500 tons of concrete and 2,400 tons of metal structures rest on a 16 meter foundation sunk into the top of the hill. The mass of the foundation slabs and reinforcements is 16,000 tons. The volume of preparatory earthworks required for the installation of the unique sculpture is 1 million cubic meters.
The thickness of the reinforced concrete walls of the statue does not exceed 25-30 centimeters - the frame of the Motherland is a complex cellular structure welded from angle steel (mesh size is 3 x 3 x 4 meters). The required structural rigidity is provided by 99 tensioned steel cables.
The sword, 33 meters long and weighing 14 tons, was originally a steel frame sheathed with titanium sheets. The high "windage" of the sword caused its strong swaying in the wind - excessive mechanical stress led to deformation of the structure, there was an unpleasant grinding of metal sheets. In 1972, the blade of the sword was replaced with a frameless one made entirely of steel. Shorter (28 m), with holes to reduce windage and dampers to damp vibrations from wind loads.
Inside the Motherland, there are stairs that allow you to climb the entire height and penetrate into any part of the internal volume of the statue, including the head, hands and scarves. Through the hole in the right hand, you can even penetrate the cavity of the sword and climb the ladder along its entire length.
Secret door
We are standing at the foot of a huge statue, from where an impressive panorama of the city, the bend of the great river and the endless Trans-Volga steppes opens up. The one who controlled the Mamayev Kurgan controlled the entire central part of Stalingrad and the crossing of the 62nd Army. Any description pales in comparison to what happened here 70 years ago …
Mamayev Kurgan. A typical day in the winter of 1942-43.
Usually, excursions end at this place - tired visitors start their way back to the foot of the mound. But, as curious people, we will continue to study the war memorial. We will go to the opposite side of the hill and head through the park straight to the tower of the TV and radio center. (wow! the reverse side of the mound is completely flat and is a plain slowly flowing into the steppe covered with ravines).
Next to the radio tower, in addition to the VIP hotel, there is a small attraction - an area with combat vehicles. Combined hodgepodge of aviation and armored vehicles from different eras. The author was able to identify an Il-2 attack aircraft, MiG-15, -17 fighters, a MiG-21 twin, a swift MiG-23, an Albatross combat training aircraft, a pair of T-34 tanks, modern infantry fighting vehicles, an armored reconnaissance vehicle and an armored personnel carrier. In general, a good prospect for those who like to shoot military equipment.
There is a really scary place nearby. The real Russian "Arlington" is a military cemetery with endless rows of stone slabs.
And there is a WALL next to it. An eerie wall of polished black marble with tens of thousands of names. Replica of the Washington Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Alas, few of the visitors to the memorial complex guess about the existence of this military burial. People prefer to admire the opened panorama of Volgograd, enthusiastically clicking the shutter of the camera at the foot of the Motherland, without tired of mournful thoughts about the mass grave, which, in fact, is the entire Mamayev Kurgan.
Well, now it remains to pass the familiar route to the foot of the mound, where we have to say goodbye to our dear readers. In a day, under the clatter of wheels, the train will rush at the foot of the height "102, 0" and be carried away into the vastness of vast Russia.
Only MAMAEV KURGAN will remain. Forever living memory in the hearts of the Russian people.
Life goes on!
