4 Interesting Places to Visit in Volgograd

Volgograd is a significant tourist destination in southern Russia. Every year thousands of Russians and foreign guests come here to take a closer look at the city sights, the majority of which are intrinsically connected to World War II.

Volgograd is a large industrial center in the Volga Region. Volgograd stretches 100 kilometers along the Volga’s right bank, and has a population of more than 1 million people. The city is constantly growing and developing, yet one thing remains unchanged – its astonishing places visited by thousands of tourists every year.

Visit Mamayev Kurgan

This is the most massive memorial complex in Russia, and is dedicated to World War II heroes. During the Battle of Stalingrad heavy fighting lasted here for 200 days. About 35 thousand warriors lie buried at Mamayev Kurgan. This monument’s architects wanted to show how enormous the significance of the Battle of Stalingrad is to Russian people. Here it is impossible not to be imbued with the greatness of the feat pulled off by soldiers during the war.

The memorial complex commemorating the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad is crowned by a statue named “The Motherland Calls”; a monument, which is one of the tallest statues in the world. Go for a stroll along the viewing platform and take a look at the statue’s concrete cloak, which flutters powerfully over your head.

Apart from the captivating Motherland statue, you can visit a great many other places: the exhibition hall, the military memorial cemetery, All Saints Cathedral, Heroes’ Square, the Hall of Military Fame, the Square of Grief, and the arboretum. Such variety is going to appeal to both adults and children as everyone will be able to find something they like.

Stalingrad Battle Panoramic Museum

Stalingrad Battle Panoramic Museum is one of the most notable attractions of Volgograd. This unusually-shaped memorial complex holds a museum and museum depository on its first level, and on the second level one can find a circular panorama, called “The Rout of the German-Nazi Troops near Stalingrad”.

The museum collection includes not only exhibits, but also real machinery, uniforms, parts of crashed planes, military operations maps, and even letters and photos that have been preserved until today. The tour about the Battle of Stalingrad, represented in the panorama on the museum’s top floor, is absolutely worth taking, as you will better understand how the events unfolded. Having left the museum, you will get an opportunity to examine real tanks and planes rather closely, as it is not prohibited to climb on them.

Lake Elton

Lake Elton is one of the most curious natural objects in the Volgograd region. It is a real miracle of nature, the pearl of the Volga steppe - the largest Salt Lake in Europe, which has an area of 152 square kilometers among flat steppe terrain. It is hard to find a place that could compare to Elton with regard to its beauty and the diversity of landscape: shallow water, beaches, salt-marshes, the picturesque estuaries of its tributaries, gullies, ravines, and valleys.

The name Elton came from Kazakh "Altyn-Nur", which means "a golden lake", due to the purple-red color of its waters (salt water), which glitters like gold, usually after noon, when the sun is moving to the west.

Lake Elton is situated on the territory of "Eltonsky" Natural Park, which is also capable of surprising tourists with its amusing sights. Such a trip might take the whole day, but the time spent here will seem like a brief moment of pleasure, and you will certainly wish to return to this paradise.

Pavlov’s House

At first glance it seems to be an ordinary residential building. But during the Second World War it became the symbol of courage and fortitude of the Russian soldiers. It is said that Germans themselves used to call this house a fortress, for it was impossible to seize.

The first thing that catches your eye when looking at Pavlov’s House is a tremendous memorial wall. Disfigured with bullets and shells, it reminds us that the past war was real, and reminds us of the hard victory of the Soviet people.

The inscription on the memorial says: "The feat of arms and labor merged into one in this house". What exactly happened in this place? Was the house seized by Nazi invaders? How many warriors fell near the walls of this house? You may find these and many other answers if you visit Volgograd and the famous Pavlov's House.

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