Our country has a unique history of events, which is reflected in architectural objects, memorials, and monuments. Many places are symbolic for the entire international population of the Russian Federation, Mamaev Kurgan in Volgograd also belongs to them. The history of the construction of this memorial complex is worthy of the events in honor of which it was erected.
Mamayev Kurgan
According to many scientists and people living in Volgograd, a stranger place is hard to imagine. Why did so many conquerors claim this small hill that attracted them to this land that helped its defenders and why is the number of those who fell on this barrow so great? Many mysteries and myths surround the area and the monument itself.
Where did the name "Mamaev Kurgan" come from? History does not give a definite answer to this question. There are several versions, each of which has its own supporters. Most often this name is associated with the Khan of the Golden Horde Mamai. This theory is based on the fact that on the hill there were fortifications of the Mongol-Tatars. Often the linguistic version of the name is voiced, local residents called the height "hill", in the language of the Volga Tatars this word was pronounced as "mum". Another hypothesis interprets the translation of the word "mother" from ancient Tibetan as "mother of the world."
Height 102.0 - as this place was called during the most tragic events of the Second World War. One of the correspondents called the hill "mound", and these words became prophetic. Today it is a mass grave. In any case, the Mamaev Kurgan in Volgograd is a place not only famous throughout the world, but also significant for many generations of Russian people.
Barrow History
Monuments of Volgograd occupy a special place in the military history of our country, especially the main memorial complex dedicated to the great and bloody events of the Second World War. During the Battle of Stalingrad, height 102 was a strategically important object, it several times passed from one side of the confrontation to the other. This is due to the geographical location of the mound - it rises above the entire area, allowing you to control not only the city, but also the crossing of the Volga and the Volga region.
The battle for Mamaev Kurgan was the most bloody in the history of wars. It lasted 135 days, and the battle of Stalingrad - 200 days and nights. The final victory in this battle was won by the Soviet troops, it was marked by the capture of 102 heights and hoisting the flag. The victory at Stalingrad was a turning point in the course of the war, the importance and tragedy of which is reflected in the “Motherland” memorial complex.
Mamaev Kurgan became the burial place of more than 34 thousand people who died defending Stalingrad and its environs. After the war ended, this charred and riddled with bullets, shells land for a long time served as a monument to heroic events and all those who died for their homeland. The idea to erect a monument on a hill in 1959 was embodied in a memorial to the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad, which was built on the Mamaev Kurgan.
Memorial Complex
The project of the future monument was developed for a long time. The All-Union competition, in which not only architects, artists and engineers participated, but also everyone who wanted to perpetuate the memory of those days, ended only 10 years later. I.V. Stalin personally chose the chief architect, E.V. Vuchetich, under whose leadership a group of sculptors, engineers and architects worked. Mamaev Kurgan in Volgograd is an architectural and structural composition, which is combined with semantic and ideological burden. The total area of the memorial complex is more than 26 hectares, the length is 1.5 km. Each sculptural group is separate from the rest, but gives the opportunity to see a whole picture of the heroic and tragic events of 1942-43. The work continued for more than eight years, from 1959 to 1967, during this period a lot of sculptural and architectural ideas changed, optimal engineering solutions were found, more expressive sculptural forms were created.
The composition of the complex
To date, anyone can visit the monument. Many people from different regions of our large country are eager to see with their own eyes the majestic monument of the Great War - Mamaev Kurgan. The tour of the complex is free of charge, most visitors get to know it beforehand, but everyone notes that only by visiting this height can one realize the heroism of the defenders of Stalingrad and feel the full power of the memorial. Sculptural groups are arranged in the following order:
- Entrance Square with a high relief “Memory of Generations”.
- Alley decorated with pyramidal poplars.
- The sculptural group "Stand to Death" in the square of the same name.
- High relief, symbolizing the ruins of Stalingrad after the end of the fighting.
- Heroes Square.
- Monumental relief.
- Hall of Military Glory.
- The Square of Sorrow, in the center of which is the composition “The Mourning Mother”.
- Mass grave.
- "Motherland is calling" - the central sculpture of the memorial complex.
- Small mass grave.
- Church of All Saints.
- Military Memorial Cemetery.
- Arboretum at the foot of the complex.
“Memory of generations”
In the first square of the memorial there is a high relief wall with the image of people carrying flowers, flags, wreaths. According to the architects, the image symbolizes the memory of future generations, that the feat of the defenders of Stalingrad will not be forgotten. All generations of Russian people will honor the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the peace and freedom of our country. Also on the square is a stele, which is dedicated to hero cities. Twelve niches store granite urns with land taken from legendary cities. The extension of the area is a poplar alley with a length of 223 meters and a width of 10 m.
Square “Stand to the death”
The granite staircase is the end of the poplar alley. It ends with a platform with a pool, in which the sculpture "War" is located. The hero with a machine gun in his hand is made of a monolithic stone block. This composition represents the most difficult period of the Battle of Stalingrad, when the courage of a Soviet soldier broke the enemy’s confidence in his invincibility. Under a hail of bullets and shells came people who despised death and looked into its face. A warrior rises from his native land. She serves him as a reliable support in the worst hour of the battle. The territory of the square “Stop to Death” ends with a staircase consisting of 200 steps - this is the number of days and nights of the battle of Stalingrad.
Ruin
A bas-relief is made along the steps that lead to the center of the memorial complex, in the form of a wall 18 meters high and 46 meters long. On the walls - the whole story of a heroic confrontation. They are excised with bullet holes, genuine documents and reports from the battlefield are applied to their surface. The musical accompaniment sounds in the background - war songs are heard, Levitan's voice conveys the situation on the fronts, the sounds of battle are reproduced. The terrible atmosphere of that time was recreated, the spirit of the defenders of the city was conveyed, the oath of the Stalingraders was reproduced on the left side of the wall.
Heroes Square and monumental relief
In order to get into the Hall of Military Glory, all visitors to the Mamayev Kurgan walk along the side alleys past a large pool, which is filled with water in the summer. Heroes Square is divided by him into two parts. On the right side are sculptural groups. In total there are six monuments made of concrete, six meters high. They reflect scenes of real events of the battle for the city. On the 100-meter banner, deployed on the left side, lines are written that reflect the mood of the Stalingrad residents and defenders of the city. The monumental relief is a wall on which the artists reflected the scenes of the offensive of the Soviet troops, the victories won by them, the capture of enemy soldiers.
Hall of Military Glory
The cylindrical room, in the middle of which there is a five-meter hand raising the Eternal Flame, is one of the most widely circulated images that characterize the sights of Volgograd. Photo and image of this architectural object can be found in many sources. The hall is dedicated to the eternal memory of those who fell in the battles for Mamaev Kurgan and Stalingrad. State decorations are depicted on the arch of the building, 34 red banners are on the walls , each of which contains the names of the dead soldiers. At the Eternal Flame there are always flowers and wreaths, the heroes who remained on the mound forever are not forgotten.
The Square of Sorrow opens before those who leave the Hall of Fame. The center is the sculpture group "The Mourning Mother". Words cannot express the grief of thousands of mothers, wives, children of those soldiers who have not returned from the war. A lake of tears is surrounded by a monument that rises in inexorable grief over the water surface. Mamaev Kurgan in Volgograd is a monument to the great Victory and the great misfortune of the peoples of the Soviet Union.
"Motherland is calling"
Pride covers everyone who sees the entire memorial complex and its central monument. The sculpture "Motherland" is a symbol of our entire country, including such a city as Volgograd. Mamaev Kurgan (photos of the war years, the erection of the monument, modern ones are in constant demand, interest in the memorial does not pass over time) all visitors to the city tend to visit to see with their own eyes its greatness.
To date, the sculpture "Motherland" is on the list of 10 highest in the world. At the time of construction, it was the leader in height and was listed in the Guinness Book of Records. The height of the statue with a sword (33 meters - the length of the sword) is 85 meters, inside it is hollow and equipped with a system of metal ropes that prevent destruction. A female warrior who calls on her brothers and sons to go into battle for everything that is dear to them in this world - this is the Motherland. The statue stands at the highest point of the mound, the foundation is hidden underground, the low pedestal gives a feeling of lightness in a multi-ton structure. At night, Motherland is illuminated by powerful spotlights. She can be seen from anywhere in the city, and she is standing above the Volga with a sword. At the foot of the monument are the burial places of soldiers and officers, nearly 35 thousand people rest on the slopes of the mound. Until today, there is no complete certainty that all fighters have been found, excavations are ongoing, the found remains are transferred to the Military Memorial Cemetery, which was recently created specifically for this purpose.