Military and historical monuments are the main tourist potential of Volgograd – among them Mamayev Kurgan with the world famous 85-meter sculpture The Motherland Calls has a special place.
"Mamayev Kurgan was and still is the hallmark of Volgograd and the entire Volgograd region," chief specialist of the Regional Tourism Development Agency Mikhail Kireev said.
The name “Mamayev Kurgan” was formed at the time of the Golden Horde. On top of the hill once were the guard patrols, and the outpost was established by the military commander Mamai. The legend says that Mamai was buried at the tumulus, named in his honor, in the tomb wearing golden armor. However, the tomb was never found.
From 1959 to 1967 under the direction of sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich monument-ensemble "Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad" was built.
Visitors of the complex are accompanied by sound compositions. Yevgeny Vuchetich, radio announcer Yuri Levitan, sound engineer and director Alexander Geraskin and film director Victor Magataev worked on the sound design.
At the top of the hill stands the main monument - The Motherland Calls. Along the serpentine 34,505 soldiers - defenders of Stalingrad were reburied in the hill. The visitors can see 37 granite gravestones of the Heroes of the Soviet Union, members of the Battle of Stalingrad.
Kireev said that Volgograd, known to foreigners more as Stalingrad, known primarily due to the Battle of Stalingrad - it radically changed the course of the World War II. Tens of thousands of tourists from Russia and foreign countries, who come to Volgograd, visit Mamayev Kurgan in the first place.
"I am sure that football players from any country, coaches and fans will surely go up the main Russian height in the summer of 2018, as we often call Mamayev Kurgan, and lay down flowers at the foot of the 85-meter sculpture The Motherland Calls. Which, by the way, almost twice the size of the 46-meter Statue of Liberty in New York," Kireev said, noting that the increase in the tourist flow to the region is expected to nearly double - from 780,000 to more than 1.4 mln people.
The Motherland Calls
Sculpture The Motherland Calls is a compositional center of the whole ensemble. It depicts a woman holding a sword in her hand, standing in a pose calling to battle. The statue is 85 meters height with the sword and a 52 meters without it.
The Motherland Calls is made of reinforced concrete - 5,500 tonnes of concrete and 2,400 tonnes of metal structures (without the base). Hollow monument was casted once, without concrete hardening in order not to get stitches. The thickness of the concrete walls is 25-30 cm. Inside the statue there are 99 steel cables, tightening the construction, room tracking the status of ropes and a ladder.
The length of the sword with a handle is 30 meters and, weight - 14 tonnes. It is made of fluorinate and it has openings to reduce the pressure of the wind. The statue stands at a 2-meter plate, which rests on the main foundation. This foundation is 16 meters high, but it is almost not visible - most of it is hidden under ground.
On June 12, 2008, the competition "7 Wonders of Russia" finale was held on the Red Square in Moscow. According to the voting results Mamayev Kurgan became one of the seven wonders of the Russia.
One of the favorite places in Volgograd of the city visitors and residents is the Central quay. Usually tourists descend to it from the city center on the Alley of Heroes. A small portion of the street is called "Arbat of Volgograd " – with painters, souvenirs, and of course, there will be sports souvenirs for the 2018 World Cup.