Russian
Volgograd is an administrative center of the Volgograd region, located on the west bank of Volga River. This is a Hero town. It ranks among of the most extended cities of Russia.
The history of the city comes from fortress Tsaritsyn based in 1589. In 1925 it was renamed into Stalingrad, and in 1961 the city got the name Volgograd.
Industry is developed in Volgograd and especially fuel, chemical, food, woodworking branches, electro - and power system, metallurgy, mechanical engineering and construction. There are some large enterprises here.
Cultural life of the city is provided by libraries, museums (the Volgograd regional museum of local lore, the State memorial museum "Battle of Stalingrad", the museum of the fine arts n.a. I. Mashkov, the memorial and historical museum and so on), as well as by planetarium, theaters and cinemas.
City embankments take up about 8 kilometers of the coastline. The oldest of them is Central embankment. It was destroyed during the Battle of Stalingrad but was built up over again in the early fifties. There is an embankment named after Vladimir Vysotsky in Kirovsky district of the city. Festivals dedicated to memory of this great poet are annually held here. The embankment named after heroes of Stalingrad is located in Krasnoarmeisky district.
Almost all city buildings were destroyed during the Great Patriotic War; only 10% of housing remained. Therefore there aren't enough architectural monuments of pre-revolutionary period in Volgograd. The former Hall of Nobility (now it is the Volgograd museum of local lore), as well as watchtower constructed at the end of the 19th century are the examples of such architecture.
The Heroes of Battle of Stalingrad, historical and memorial complex is the main sight of Volgograd. It is located on Mamayev kurgan (the barrow 102 meters high). Construction of the memorial began in 1958. It was open in 1967, almost 10 years later. The composite center of a memorial is The sculpture "The Motherland calls! " 52 meter high takes the central place in the memorial composition. This statue is one of the highest in the world.
The mill of Gergardt didn't specially begin to restore after the Great Patriotic War; it was remained as a monument to the Battle of Stalingrad. The building was constructed in 1903. It functioned till September 14, 1942.
The Volgograd-city complex located in the Central district may also be called a sight of modern age. This complex includes five dwelling houses, a hotel, a shopping centers and municipal facilities.
The City Day is celebrated in Volgograd on the first Sunday of September.
