Volgograd
32585
219722356
2008-06-16T16:10:13Z
Trevor MacInnis
73333
Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/92.21.130.105|92.21.130.105]] ([[User talk:92.21.130.105|talk]]) to last version by BD2412
{{Redirect|Stalingrad}}
{{Infobox Russian city
|EnglishName=Volgograd
|RussianName=Волгоград
|Skyline=Train Station (V).JPG
|SkylineLegend=Volgograd train station
|LatDeg=48
|LatMin=42
|LatSec
|LonDeg=44
|LonMin=31
|LonSec
|LocatorMap=Map european russia volgograd.png
|LocatorMapLegend=Volgograd on the map of European Russia
|CoatOfArms=Coat of Arms of Volgograd.png
|Flag=Volgograd flag.gif
|CityDay=Second Sunday of September
|FederalSubject=[[Volgograd Oblast]]
|MunStatus=Urban okrug
|InJurisdictionOf=[[Volgograd Oblast]]
|AdmCtrOf=[[Volgograd Oblast]]
|LeaderType=Head
|LeaderName=Roman Grebennikov
|Legislature=[[Volgograd City Duma|City Duma]]
|Charter=[[Charter of the Hero City Volgograd]]
|Area_km2=565
|AreaRank
|Population=1011417
|PopulationRank=12th
|FoundationDate=1555
|Event1=Town status
|Event1Date=1780
|Event2=Renamed ''Stalingrad''
|Event2Date=1925
|Event3=Renamed ''Volgograd''
|Event3Date=1961
|PostalCode=400001..400138
|DialingCode=8442
|Website=http://www.volgadmin.ru
}}
'''Volgograd''' ({{audio-ru|Волгогра́д|ru-Volgograd.ogg}}), [[geographical renaming|formerly called]] '''Tsaritsyn''' ({{audio-ru|Цари́цын|ru-Tsaritsyn.ogg}}) (1598–1925) and '''Stalingrad''' ({{audio-ru|Сталингра́д|ru-Stalingrad.ogg}}) (1925–1961) is a [[types of inhabited localities in Russia|city]] and the administrative center of [[Volgograd Oblast]], [[Russia]]. It is 80 kilometres long, and situated on the west bank of the [[Volga River]].
==History==
Volgograd originated with the foundation in 1589 of the fortress of Tsaritsyn at the confluence of the [[Tsaritsa River|Tsaritsa]] and [[Volga River]]s. The fortress, which took its name from the local name ''Sary Su'' (''Yellow Water/River'' in the [[Tatar language]]), was established to defend the unstable southern border of Tsarist Russia and became the nucleus of a trading settlement. It was captured twice by [[Cossack]] rebels, under [[Stenka Razin]] in the rebellion of 1670 and [[Yemelyan Pugachev]] in 1774. Tsaritsyn became an important river port and commercial centre in the 19th century.
The city was the scene of heavy fighting during the [[Russian Civil War]]. [[Bolshevik]] forces occupied it during 1918, but were attacked by [[White Movement|White forces]] under [[Anton Ivanovich Denikin]]. During the [[battle for Tsaritsyn]] the Bolsheviks were pushed back and surrounded at first, and only the actions of [[Joseph Stalin]], then local chairman of the military committee, saved the city for the Bolsheviks. Stalin did so by recalling [[Zhloba]]'s 'Steel Division' from the [[Caucasus]] which attacked the White Forces in the rear. In honor of Stalin's efforts in defending the city, it was renamed ''Stalingrad'' (literally: "Stalin city") in 1925. The name change is typical of the way towns and cities were re-named after Bolshevik leaders and heroes during Soviet times. (See also [[List of places named after Stalin]].)
[[Image:Mutter Heimat.jpg|left|thumb|230px|[[Mother Motherland Is Calling|The Motherland Calls]] on the [[Mamayev Kurgan]]- the largest statue in the world when erected in 1967<ref>{{cite book | last = Hakim | first = Joy | title = A History of Us: War, Peace and all that Jazz | publisher = Oxford University Press | date = 1995 | location = New York | pages = | isbn = 0-19-509514-6 }}</ref>]]
Under Stalin, the city became heavily industrialized and was developed as a centre of heavy industry and trans-shipment by rail and river. During [[World War II]] ([[Great Patriotic War]]), the city of Stalingrad became the center of the [[Battle of Stalingrad]] as well as the pivotal turning point in the war against Germany. The battle lasted from [[August 21]], [[1942]] to [[February 2]], [[1943]]. 1.7 million to 2 million [[Axis powers of World War II|Axis]] and Soviet soldiers were either killed, wounded or captured, as well as over 40,000 civilians killed. The city was reduced to rubble during the fierce fighting, but reconstruction began soon after the Germans were expelled from the city.
For the heroism shown during the battle, Stalingrad was awarded the title [[Hero City]] in 1945, and King [[George VI of the United Kingdom]] awarded the citizens of Stalingrad a jeweled [[sword]] in appreciation of the bravery that they had shown. A memorial complex commemorating the battle, dominated by an immense [[allegorical sculpture]] of Mother Russia, was erected on the [[Mamayev Kurgan]], a hill that saw some of the most intense fighting during the battle. A number of cities around the world (especially ones that had suffered particularly badly during the war) established sister/friendship/[[Town twinning|twinning]] links (see list below). It was part of the world's first such link when it formed a twinning relationship with the English city of [[Coventry]] during [[World War II]] (as both suffered heavy bombing).
[[Image:murman kurgan.jpg|left|thumb|500px|Picture taken from the top of Mamayev Kurgan and looking down over the [[Volga]] river.]]
[[Image:Volgograd de insulo.jpg|left|thumb|500px|View of the city from the [[Volga]] river.]]
The Panorama museum, which is located alongside the Volga river, contains artifacts from World War II. These include a panoramic painting of the battlefield from the location of the monument "Mamayev Kurgan." Here a rifle of the famous sniper [[Vasily Zaytsev]], can also be found.
In 1961, the city's name was changed to Volgograd ("Volga City") as part of [[Nikita Khrushchev]]'s programme of [[de-Stalinization]]. This was and remains somewhat contentious, given the fame of the name Stalingrad, and there were once serious proposals to change the name back during [[Konstantin Chernenko]]'s brief administration in 1985. There is still a strong degree of local support for a reversion and proposals have been made from time to time, though as yet none have been accepted by the [[Politics of Russia|Russian government]].
==Economy==
Modern Volgograd is still an important industrial city. Its industries include [[shipbuilding]], [[oil refining]], [[steel]] and [[aluminium]] production, manufacture of machinery and vehicles, and chemical production. A large [[Volgograd Hydroelectric Plant]] stands a short distance to the north of Volgograd. [[Image:Volgograd 1979.jpg|left|thumb|Volgograd on the 1979 map]]
===Transport===
Volgograd is a major railway junction with links to [[Moscow]], the [[Donbas]] region of [[Ukraine]], the [[Caucasus]], and [[Siberia]]. It stands at the east end of the [[Volga-Don Canal]], opened in 1952 to link the two great rivers of [[Southern Russia]].
[[European route E40]], the longest European route connecting [[Calais]], [[France]] with [[Ridder, Kazakhstan|Ridder]], [[Kazakhstan]], passes through Volgograd.
Volgograd's public transport system includes a [[light rail]] service known as the [[Volgograd metrotram]].
==Education==
Educational institutions include [http://www.volsu.ru Volgograd State University], [http://www.vstu.ru/eng/index.shtml Volgograd State Technical University] (former Volgograd Polytechnical University), [http://volgmed.ru Volgograd State Medical University], [[Volgograd State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering]], Volgograd Academy of Industry, and [[Volgograd State Pedagogical University]]. [[Image:Volgograd Alleja Gerojev.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Theater of Volgograd]]
[[Image:stalingrad aftermath.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Stalingrad, midtown, following the battle]]
[[Image:Volgograd railway station.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Railway Station]]
==Sister cities==
As of 2006, Volgograd had 18 [[sister city|sister cities]]<ref name = "Volgadmin">[http://www.volgadmin.ru/EN2/Municipality/FriendlyRelationship.aspx Friendly relationship at Official website of Volgograd]</ref>:
*{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Coventry]], [[United Kingdom]] (1943)
*{{flagicon|Czech Republic}} [[Ostrava]], [[Czech Republic]] (1948)
*{{flagicon|Finland}} [[Kemi]], [[Finland]] (1953)
*{{flagicon|Belgium}} [[Liège (city)|Liège]], [[Belgium]] (1959)
*{{flagicon|France}} [[Dijon]], [[France]] (1959)
*{{flagicon|Italy}} [[Turin]], [[Italy]] (1961)
*{{flagicon|Egypt}} [[Port Said]], [[Egypt]] (1962)
*{{flagicon|India}} [[Chennai]], [[India]] (1966)
*{{flagicon|Japan}} [[Hiroshima]], [[Japan]] (1972)
*{{flagicon|Germany}} [[Cologne]], [[Germany]] (1988)
*{{flagicon|Germany}} [[Chemnitz]], [[Germany]] (1988)
*{{flagicon|United States}} [[Cleveland]], [[United States]] (1990)
*{{flagicon|Canada}} [[Toronto]], [[Canada]] (1991)
*{{flagicon|People's Republic of China}} [[Jilin City|Jilin]], [[People's Republic of China|China]] (1994)
*{{flagicon|Armenia}} [[Yerevan]], [[Armenia]] (1998)
*{{flagicon|People's Republic of China}} [[Chengdu]], [[China]] (1998)
*{{flagicon|Serbia}} [[Kruševac]], [[Serbia]] (1999)
*{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Rousse]], [[Bulgaria]] (2001)
*{{flagicon|United States}} [[Huntingdon, Pennsylvania|Huntingdon]], [[United States]] (2003)
*{{flagicon|United States}} [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]], [[United States]] (2008)
A number of communities in [[France]] have streets or avenues named after Stalingrad, hence ''Place de la Bataille de Stalingrad'' in [[Paris]] and the eponymous [[Paris Métro]] station of [[Stalingrad (Paris Metro)|Stalingrad]].
==External links==
{{commonscat}}
*{{en icon}} [http://www.volgadmin.ru/en2/ Official website of Volgograd]
*{{ru icon}} [http://www.volgadmin.ru Official website of Volgograd]
*{{ru icon}} [http://www.volga34.ru Volga34 – directory organizations of Volgograd]
*{{ru icon}} [http://www.volgograd.ru Volgograd.ru — City Web Portal, Local Business and Web Directory, News, Press, Webcams, 3D Mamayev Kurgan]
*[http://community.webshots.com/user/summitphotographics Over 2,000 original German WWII soldier photographs from the Eastern Front]
*[http://www.russia-travel.ws/regions/Volgograd/ Sights of Volgograd]
*[http://galerie.knez.cz/ALBUM/stalingrad/ Photo Gallery from Volgograd]
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Cities and towns in Volgograd Oblast}}
{{Hero Cities}}
[[Category:Volgograd| ]]
[[Category:Settlements established in 1589]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Volgograd Oblast]]
[[Category:Cities on the Volga]]
[[Category:Hero Cities of the Soviet Union]]
[[ar:فولجوجراد]]
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