Formerly known as Stalingrad, Volgograd extends alongside the Volga River and has over 1 million residents. Modern Volgograd is an important manufacturing centre, with industries that include shipbuilding, oil refining and steel and aluminium production. Founded in: 1589 (named Stalingrad until 1961) Population: 1,100,000 Distance to Moscow: 941 km Volgograd and the surrounding area saw some of the heaviest battles during World War II. The Battle of Stalingrad was a turning point in the war. The 85-metre “Motherland calling” statue is Volgograd’s landmark and can be seen from any point of the city. Volgograd is a centre for ecotourism in Russia. The city is close to the unique Volga-Akhtubin floodplains, the last pristine stretch of the Volga river valleys. Lakes make up 30 per cent of the park’s territory and count over 200 species of birds. Volgograd is a true sporting city. Its athletes have won 20 gold medals at summer Olympic Games. Yelena Isynbayeva, a multiple world pole-vaulting champion and ambassador for Russia’s bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup™, began her sporting career in Volgograd.
Top sights in Volgograd