It was on this hill that fierce battles took place during the Great Patriotic War. This battle went down in history as the Battle of Stalingrad. Today, there is a memorial complex dedicated to the soldiers who took part. Here also stands a huge monument called "The Motherland Calls." There are also several mass graves on the mound. The total number of soldiers who found peace here exceeds 35,000.
According to the city portal www.cod34.ru, every guest visiting the city of Volgograd first of all heads here. It is a unique landmark that tells of both a glorious victory and a tragic loss at the same time. Construction work began here in 1959, and by 1967 the complex was completely finished.
The sculpture "The Motherland Calls" depicts a woman who has raised a sword above her head and calls for the fight against the enemy. The height of the monument is 87 meters, and the height of the concrete base is 16 meters, but almost the entire slab is underground. Only two meters are above ground. The sword alone is 33 meters long and weighs 14 tons.
Today, the statue ranks eleventh in the list of the tallest sculptures in the world. Interestingly, the monument is part of a triptych. In the city of Magnitogorsk, there is a monument called "Rear to Front." The sculpture depicts a home front worker passing the sword of war to a soldier. In Berlin, the city where the war ended, there is a third monument. It is the same soldier, but now with a child in his arms, and the sword of war is lowered.
There are no ordinary objects here. Everything on Mamayev Kurgan is filled with meaning and symbolism. Even the number of steps leading up the hill is not accidental. There are 200 of them – exactly as many days as the Battle of Stalingrad lasted. Every visitor to the "Walls-Ruins" and the "Hall of Military Glory" can hear various musical compositions. This is done to enhance the effect and demonstrate the full tragedy of the events of those times.
The path upward begins from the Square of Sorrow. Mass graves are located along the serpentine road. Also buried nearby are Heroes of the Soviet Union, 37 of them here.
Mamayev Kurgan is a unique monument, a remarkable landmark of the city of Volgograd. Despite all the horror that took place here many years ago, the mound is visited by a huge number of people every year.