What kind of city is Stalingrad today? Volgograd - Stalingrad: what the city looked like then and what it is like now. Modern disputes about the name of Volgograd

05.07.2020 Cottage, garden and vegetable garden

Today marks the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet army in Battle of Stalingrad. Everyone knows that after the expulsion of Hitler's troops the city lay in ruins; everyone remembers the famous photograph of the Barmaley fountain with dancing children.

But almost no one, except interested local residents, saw what Stalingrad (and, until 1925, Tsaritsyn) looked like before the battle for it began. Therefore, I suggest you look at old photographs and try to imagine the pre-war Volga city:

There are not many Soviet pre-war photographs of Stalingrad, so let's start with Tsaritsyn during the imperial period.

The first (central) part of Tsaritsyn. The photo was taken from the first fire tower, opened in 1854, which stood where the entrance to the Medical University is now located (along the Alley of Heroes).

Salt wharf and barns in late XIX century

View of the city of Tsaritsyn, 1886. Now this is the perspective of Avenue named after. Lenin from the city center in a southwestern direction.

Fishing pier on the Volga, 1886

Lower Forest Pier, 1886

View of the city of Tsaritsyn, 1886

Gryaze-Tsaritsynskaya railway. Oil warehouses of the Nobel brothers partnership, 1886

Viaduct, 1898. The railway bridge over the Tsaritsa River, built in 1898, connected the Gryaze-Tsaritsyn and Tikhoretsk railways into a single transport system.

The Tsaritsa River at its confluence with the Volga, early 20th century

Tsaritsyn at the beginning of the 20th century. Astrakhanskaya street is the current Sovetskaya street.

Kulyginsky vzvoz is another alternative to Astrakhan, the route from Zatsaritsyn to the central (First) part of the city. The vzvoz has been partially preserved in the area of the high-speed tram turning circle, where even now you can go down the same road into the Tsaritsyn ravine.

View of the floodplain of the Tsaritsa River and the beginning of Aleksandrovskaya Street, 1880s. Yes, residential buildings used to stand right in the ravine.

Pleasure garden "Concordia", late 19th - early 20th centuries. Apparently, this place is now a vacant lot.

Railway station, summer gazebo. 1875

Station Square at the end of the 19th century

Tsaritsyn station, fish warehouses

Station in 1903-1905

Trade school, early 20th century. It was located on Belskaya Street (current Kommunisticheskaya); In the distance you can see the tower of the 1st fire station.

Moskovskaya street and the building of the Zemstvo government, 1905-1912.

View of the city from the Volga, 1912

The ravine through which the Tsarina flows, 1910-1914

Building of the 4th Women's Gymnasium, 1913. Surprisingly, it survived the war. Now it houses the Cossack Theater.

This is the same building from a different angle. Here you can see the trams that had just appeared in the city (the first electric tram was launched in Tsaritsyn in the spring of 1913).

Gogol Street, 1913-1917.

The same street, 1913-1916

Market Square, 1910-1915.

Jail

Holy Spirit Monastery, 1912-1917.

Tsaritsyn. 1st Men's Gymnasium and Real College, 1916-1917. These buildings no longer exist, now this block on Prospect. Lenin is occupied by the administration of the Volgograd region.

The square in front of the Church of the Ascension, circa 1918. Now in this place there is a park named after. Sasha Filippova.

Orphanage of the Mezhrabpom organization, former Miller's house. After the revolution, it housed a Youth Theater. The building was seriously damaged during the war, but did not collapse, and stood abandoned until the 1960s, when it was then demolished. The house stood next to the current parking lot of the Pyramid shopping center.

"House with Swans", built in the 1920s (corner of Mira and Lenin streets). It was also damaged during the war and was restored in a greatly modified form.

Physiotherapeutic Institute named after. Semashko, 1925-1942

City Council building, 1925-1942. Now it houses the Volgograd Regional Museum of Local Lore.

Tsaritsyn Defense Museum, late 1920s.

In 1930, the famous fountain was built on the site of the flowerbed.

The station after reconstruction in 1931.

Stalingrad Youth Theater, 1930-1941.

House of Public Utilities Workers, 1937-1941. The building was destroyed during the Battle of Stalingrad.

Square of Fallen Soldiers, 1937-1938. At the top of the photo you can see the ruins of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, blown up in 1932.

From a different angle.

Nizhnyaya Oktyabrskaya Street and Oktyabrskaya Square, 1935 (now here is the Alley of Heroes)

State publishing house, 1930s

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and the monument to Lenin on the Square of Fallen Fighters. They were neighbors, as you already understood, not for long. The cathedral was destroyed by the communists in 1932, and the monument was destroyed during the war.

City center in 1931

Stalingrad in 1932. The cathedral has not yet been blown up.

House of Science and Arts, 1930. It was opened under the Tsar, but under the Bolsheviks it retained its functions.

It's him. The building was badly damaged during the war, and in the early 1950s it was rebuilt in the Stalinist style.

Regional Executive Committee, 1935-1940. There is now a park where construction of the new Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is underway.

The central department store, which was built right before the war, in 1938. It was destroyed during the war and rebuilt in 1949 according to a new design. Nowadays the Intourist Hotel is located here.

Proletkultskaya Street, until 1942. It ran parallel to the current Komsomolskaya, now this place is occupied by residential areas of post-war buildings.

"House of Visitors" at the Tractor Plant. It has still been preserved (215 Lenin Avenue), but in poor condition.

Checkpoint of the Red October plant, 1939

View of the village of the tractor factory and the circus, 1932-1941. The Stalingrad Circus was opened in 1932 and was designed for 3,000 spectators. During the Great Patriotic War partially destroyed. Bottom part The building was subsequently used for the construction of the Traktorozavodsky district market.

April 10, 1941, view of Komsomolsky Square

All photos found on the site

The Battle of Stalingrad became a turning point in the Great Patriotic War. After this, the advantage passed to the side Soviet army. Therefore, Stalingrad became one of the main symbols Great Victory of the Soviet people over Nazi Germany. But why was this hero city soon renamed? And what is Stalingrad called now?

Tsaritsyn, Stalingrad, Volgograd

In 1961, by Decree of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR, the city was renamed, and now Stalingrad is called Volgograd. Until 1925, this city was called Tsaritsyn. When Joseph Stalin actually came to power in the USSR, the personality cult of the new leader began, and some cities began to bear his name. So Tsaritsyn became Stalingrad. But after Stalin’s death in 1953, Nikita Khrushchev became the new leader of the country and in 1956, at the 20th Congress of the Communist Party, he debunked Stalin’s cult of personality, pointing out all his negative consequences. Five years later, the massive dismantling of monuments to Stalin began, and the cities that bore his name began to return their former names. But the origin of the name Tsaritsyn did not fit into Soviet ideology somewhat; they began to choose a different name for the city and settled on Volgograd, since it stands on the great Russian Volga River.

Volgograd - on weekdays, Stalingrad - on holidays

True, in 2013, deputies of the Volgograd City Duma partially returned the old name to the city and decided to use the combination hero city of Stalingrad as a symbol of Volgograd on holidays, such as May 9, February 23, June 22 and other significant dates associated with the history of the city. This was done as a tribute to the veterans of the Great Patriotic War.

Volgograd is one of the largest cities in the Volga region, whose history goes back several centuries. The first mention of the city, which stretches along the Volga right bank for approximately 70 km, dates back to 1589, when the Russian state faced an urgent need to protect a new transport route - the Volga River. It was then that the city of Tsaritsyn was founded, several centuries later renamed Stalingrad, and then Volgograd.

Tsaritsyn - the beginning of the history of the city of Volgograd

July 2, 1589 is considered to be the founding day of Tsaritsyn. On the island, the settlers built a wooden fortress to defend against the steppe nomads. However, this church did not save the city from the tsarist troops, who stormed the settlement in 1607. A year later, the first stone church (John the Baptist) was erected in Tsaritsyn, which stood until the end of the 30s of the 20th century and was restored to its original location in the 90s.

In 1615, the fortifications of Tsaritsyn were rebuilt in a new place - no longer on the island, but on the right bank of the Volga. It was here that Stepan Razin stopped on his way to Persia in 1667 and in 1669 during the return trip. His squad captured Tsaritsyn in 1670 after a long siege, establishing Cossack self-government in the city.

In 1708, during the uprising of the Don Cossacks in the Lower Volga region, one of the large detachments led by Ignat Nekrasov and Ivan Pavlov moved to Tsaritsyn and captured the city by storm. In the next decade, this settlement more than once became the target of raids by Circassians, Nogais and Adygeis.
In 1718, on the Volga coast, by decree of Peter I, the Tsaritsyn guard line began to be built. Tsaritsyn became the outermost fortress on the Volga bank, the fifth in a row. Having visited the city once again, the king promised local residents, that no one would dare resettle the townspeople to Azov, and donated his cane and cap to Tsaritsyn (these items are still kept in the Volgograd Museum of Local Lore).

Two severe fires (in 1727 and 1728) almost completely destroyed the wooden buildings. The victims were allocated land across the Tsaritsa River, thus forming the Zatsaritsyn part of the city (now this territory is the Voroshilovsky district of Volgograd).

In 1765, with the permission of Catherine II, the first foreign colonists appeared in Tsaritsyn. At the mouth of the Sarpa River, the Gernhuter Germans founded a settlement called Sarepta-on-Volga, surrounded by a fortress with earthen rampart and a moat.

In 1774, Emelyan Pugachev’s troops tried to take Tsaritsyn by storm, but government troops under the command of Michelson, who came to the rescue, repelled the attack. After the defeat of Pugachev's uprising, the Volga Cossack Army and the Tsaritsyn guard line were abolished.

The beginning of the 19th century was marked by a number of events that determined the further development of the city. In 1808, the first school in the city to teach children to read and write was opened in Tsaritsyn, and the first professional doctors appeared. In 1812, a mustard plant began operating, and in 1820, by order of Tsar Alexander I, a new development plan for Tsaritsyn was approved. In the middle of the 19th century, fields in Sarepta were first sown with potatoes, which had previously been considered a harmful “devil’s apple.”

In 1862, the Volga-Don Railway was built from Tsaritsyn to Kalach-on-Don, connecting the Volga and Don at the shortest distance. In 1870, the first trains passed along the Gryaze-Tsaritsyn railway.

The year 1814 marked the beginning of the towing shipping company, and in 1857 regular passenger traffic on the Volga opened.

In 1872, the first theater was opened in Tsaritsyn, and three years later - a men's gymnasium, which became the first educational institution in a city where one could get a classical secondary education.

The end of the 19th century is an important milestone in the industrial development of the city. During these years, a large oil depot was built, a sawmill, an oil refinery and metallurgical plants, the city water supply is open.

In 1885, the first issue of the Volzhsko-Donskoy Listok newspaper was published, and five years later the city public library was opened.

The 20th century began with a big fire that raged for several days. And again the city had to be rebuilt.

In 1913, the first city tram was launched in Tsaritsyn and the construction of the Astrakhan Bridge across the Tsaritsa River was completed. At the same time, asphalt roads, cars and the first electric lights appeared in the city.

In 1914, the groundbreaking ceremony for a cannon factory took place in the city and a pedagogical museum was founded. A year later, the House of Science and Arts was built in Tsaritsyn and a meteorological station was opened.

In 1916, the city completed construction of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, which began in 1901, and already in 1932 the temple was destroyed.

During the October Revolution of 1917, a revolutionary headquarters was formed in Tsaritsyn. Soviet power in the city was established peacefully, since a month ago the Bolsheviks S.K. Minin and Ya. Z. Yerman took control of Tsaritsyn.

Stalingrad - the heroic history of Volgograd

In 1925, by decision of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, Tsaritsyn was renamed Stalingrad. Documents from those years indicate that Comrade Stalin himself was against such a renaming; he even refused to appear at the local Congress of Soviets.

In 1924, Stalingrad was awarded the Order of the Red Banner by government decree.

Until the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, active industrial and social construction continued in the city: a tractor and hardware plant was put into operation, the construction of a power plant began according to the GOELRO plan, and the Stalingrad Tractor Institute opened. By the end of the first five-year plan, Stalingrad had become the largest industrial center of the Volga region.

In 1930, the Stalingrad State District Power Plant with a capacity of 51,000 kilowatts was launched, and a year later the first stage of the shipyard in the Krasnoarmeysky district of the city went into operation. In the mid-30s, pedagogical and medical institutes, the Tsaritsyn Defense Museum, and the first Palace of Pioneers and Schoolchildren were opened in Stalingrad.

A year before the Great Patriotic War, the only children's Volga River Flotilla in the USSR was built in the city with its own ships and pier.

On July 17, 1942, the heroic defense of Stalingrad began, which lasted until February 2, 1943, when the liquidation of the encircled group of Nazi troops was completely completed. This day is considered to be the end of the Battle of Stalingrad. The restoration of the destroyed city began. In 1945, Stalingrad, Leningrad, Odessa and Sevastopol were awarded the titles of hero cities.

In 1958, the largest Stalingrad hydroelectric power station in Europe was put into operation and the Stalingrad Television Center began broadcasting.

Volgograd: history of the city name

On November 10, 1961, “at the request of the workers,” the CPSU Central Committee decided to rename Stalingrad to Volgograd. The history of the city's name is connected with the Volga. Volgograd literally means “city on the Volga”.

In 1960, the Eternal Flame was lit, and in the same year, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Cuba, Fidel Castro, arrived in the city on an official visit.

In the city, almost completely restored after the war, large-scale construction of industrial, residential and social facilities continued. The history of the development of Volgograd, incredibly rich in both joyful and tragic events, did not stop for a minute.

In the 1960s, the engine and soot factories came into operation, a new circus building was put into operation, a monument-ensemble “To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad” was erected, and the Higher Investigation School of the Ministry of Internal Affairs opened its doors. During these same years, the city was awarded the Golden Star medal and the Order of Lenin, and the title “Honorary Citizen of the Hero City of Volgograd” was established.

In the 1970s, the history of Volgograd, photos of which are presented in the photo gallery on this page, was marked by such a significant event as the awarding of the Order of Lenin. This award was awarded not only to the city, but also to the entire Volgograd region, and five residents of Volgograd were awarded the title of honorary citizen.

At the same time, the Volgograd shoe factory was built,

The Theater for Young Spectators opened.

In the 1980s, the Volgogradsky state university, the “Battle of Stalingrad” panorama opened, the third urban master plan for Volgograd was approved, the first stage of a high-speed tram was launched, connecting the city center with its northern regions. The length of the line was 16 km (13 km on the ground and 3 km underground). During these same years, a monument to participants in the revival of Volgograd was unveiled and a new holiday was introduced - Volgograd City Day. One of the significant events of this period was the birth of its millionth resident; on May 3, 1989, Volgograd officially became the 24th million-plus city in the USSR. In September of the same year, Volgograd celebrated its 400th anniversary.

No less important events happened in the 1990s of the 20th century. At the turn of the century the following were discovered:

State Historical and Ethnographic Museum Reserve "Old Sarepta"

Center for Russian Spiritual and Singing Culture "Concordia"

Volgograd Regional Armenian Cultural Center.

The private art gallery "Vernissage" and the Children's Art Gallery opened their doors.

In 1991, the 1st International festival avant-garde art "Kaiphedra", the Union of Volga Germans "Heimat" was created and the State Don Cossack Theater was established. At the same time, for the first time in the history of Volgograd, pilot issues of Novaya Gazeta and Gorodskie Vesti were published, the Nizhne-Volzhskaya Customs was formed, the Volgograd Regional Center for the Prevention and Control of AIDS and the Volgograd Regional Cardiology Center received its first visitors, the Volga Olympic Academy and the Volgograd Institute were created management and the Diocesan Theological School.

In the 90s, the Volgograd Television and Radio Company began broadcasting, the first radio station in the FM range “Europe Plus Volgograd” and the radio station “New Wave”. In 1998, Volgograd dropped out of the list of million-plus cities.

The beginning of the 21st century was marked by the re-awarding of the million-plus status to the city on the Volga (2002). But already in 2004, the number of Volgograd residents again fell below the cherished mark. Between 2000 and 2010 A gerontology center and a representative office of the International Association for Combating Drug Addiction and Drug Trafficking were opened in the city, the first stage of the bridge across the Volga was put into operation, and the second stage of the Volgograd metrotram opened. In 2008, Volgograd received the status of a million-plus city for the third time. In 2011, 28 settlements were included in the regional center.

From its very origins to the present, the city has played an important role in the formation of the Russian state. The history of Volgograd, a video about the main milestones of which can be viewed on this page, continues, the city is developing in all important directions, our descendants will have to say their next word in the chronicle of Volgograd.

Volgograd is one of the most famous and significant cities bearing the title of Hero City. In the summer of 1942, fascist German troops launched a massive offensive on the southern front, trying to capture the Caucasus, the Don region, the lower Volga and Kuban - the richest and most fertile lands of the USSR. First of all, the city of Stalingrad came under attack, the attack on which was entrusted to the 6th Army under the command of Colonel General Paulus.

On July 12, the Soviet command created the Stalingrad Front, the main task of which was to stop the invasion of German invaders in the southern direction. On July 17, 1942, one of the greatest and largest battles in the history of World War II began - the Battle of Stalingrad. Despite the fascists' desire to capture the city as quickly as possible, it continued for 200 long, bloody days and nights, ending in complete victory, thanks to the dedication and incredible efforts of the heroes of the army, navy and ordinary residents of the region.

The first attack on the city took place on August 23, 1942. Then, just north of Volgograd, the Germans almost approached the Volga. Policemen, sailors of the Volga Fleet, NKVD troops, cadets and other volunteer heroes were sent to defend the city. That same night, the Germans launched their first air raid on the city, and on August 25, a state of siege was introduced in Stalingrad. At that time, about 50 thousand volunteers - heroes from among ordinary townspeople - signed up for the people's militia. Despite the almost continuous shelling, the Stalingrad factories continued to operate and produce tanks, Katyushas, cannons, mortars and a huge number of shells.

On September 12, 1942, the enemy came close to the city. Two months of fierce defensive battles for Volgograd caused significant damage to the Germans: the enemy lost about 700 thousand people killed and wounded, and on November 19, 1942, the Soviet counteroffensive began.

75 days lasted offensive and finally, the enemy at Stalingrad was surrounded and defeated. January 1943 brought complete victory on this section of the front. Fascist invaders were surrounded, and General Paulus and his entire army surrendered. During the entire Battle of Stalingrad, the German army lost more than 1.5 million people.

Stalingrad was one of the first to be called a hero city. This honorary title was first announced in the order of the Commander-in-Chief dated May 1, 1945. And the medal “For the Defense of Stalingrad” became a symbol of the courage of the city’s defenders.

In the hero city of Volgograd there are many monuments dedicated to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. Among them is the famous memorial complex on Mamayev Kurgan, a hill on the right bank of the Volga known since the time of the Tatar-Mongol invasion. During the Battle of Stalingrad, particularly fierce battles took place here, as a result of which approximately 35,000 heroic soldiers were buried on Mamayev Kurgan. In honor of all those who fell, a memorial to the “Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad” was erected here in 1959.

The main architectural landmark of Mamayev Kurgan is the 85-meter-high monument “The Motherland Calls”. The monument depicts a woman with a sword in her hand, who calls on her sons, the heroes, to fight.

The ancient Gerhardt mill (Grudinin mill) is another silent witness to the courageous struggle of the defenders of the hero city of Volgograd. This is a destroyed building that has not yet been restored in memory of the war.

During street fighting in the city, a four-story building on what is now Lenin Square became an impregnable stronghold. In the second half of September, a reconnaissance and assault group, led by Sergeant Pavlov, captured the house and entrenched itself in it. Four days later, reinforcements arrived under the command of Senior Lieutenant Afanasyev, delivering weapons and ammunition - the house became an important stronghold in the defense system. For 58 days, the small garrison of the house repelled German attacks until Soviet troops did not launch a counterattack. In 1943, after the victory in the Battle of Stalingrad, the house was rebuilt. It is considered the first restored building in the city. In 1985, a memorial wall-monument was opened on the end wall.

On October 2, 1942, in a battle near the Red October plant, a private of the 883rd Infantry Regiment and a former sailor of the Pacific Fleet, Mikhail Panikakha, destroyed a German tank at the cost of his life. A stray bullet broke the Molotov cocktail in his hand, the liquid instantly spread over the fighter’s body and ignited. But, without being confused and overcoming the pain, he grabbed the second bottle, rushed at the advancing tank and set it on fire. For this feat, on December 9, 1942, he was posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree. On May 5, 1990, he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. At the site of Mikhail Panikakha’s feat, on Metallurgov Avenue, in 1975, a monument was erected to him in the form of a six-meter copper sculpture on a reinforced concrete pedestal.

At the place where in January 1943 the troops of the Don Front, under the command of Colonel General K. Rokossovsky, completed the defeat of the southern group of German troops, today there is the Square of Fallen Fighters and the Alley of Heroes. A special feature of its architectural ensemble is the marble steles of the Heroes of the Soviet Union, installed for the 40th anniversary of the Victory, on which the names of 127 heroes - Stalingrad residents are immortalized. And on the Square of Fallen Fighters, where on January 31, 1943, the commander of the 6th German Army, Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus, and his staff were captured in the basement of a department store, an eternal flame was lit in 1963.

In the second half of 1942, G. K. Zhukov, who then held the rank of army general, as a representative of the Supreme Command Headquarters, coordinated the actions of the armies of the Stalingrad Front. In memory of his contribution to the Victory, a monument was erected on the avenue that bears his name in 1996, on the 100th anniversary of Zhukov’s birth. It is a bronze half-figure of Marshal of Victory in a tunic mounted on a pedestal. By left side from it there is a granite slab depicting the four stars of the Hero of the Soviet Union, which he was awarded, and the battles in which he took part are recorded on stone blocks.

The ships of the Volga military flotilla made a great contribution to the Stalingrad victory. They provided fire support to Soviet troops, landed troops, transported ammunition, and evacuated the population. In 1974, a monument to the Volga rivermen was erected - the boat “Gasitel”, a participant in the Battle of Stalingrad, located on a pedestal. Behind the boat there is a thirteen-meter stele, in the lower part of which there is an anchor, and at the top - a star. In 1980, in the fairway of the Volga opposite Mamayev Kurgan, a monument in the form of an anchor, 15 meters high, installed on a floating platform, was opened. There is an inscription on it - “To the Volga rivermen, ships that died in the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942–1943.” In 1995, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Victory, another monument to the sailors of the Volga Flotilla was unveiled on the embankment - the armored boat BK-13 installed on a pedestal.

In January 1942, the 10th was formed in Stalingrad from city residents. rifle division NKVD troops, units of border guards from the Urals and Siberia also joined it. Together with the militia, it took on the first blow of the German invasion in August 1942. On December 2, 1942, the division was awarded the Order of Lenin, and during the entire period of World War II, 20 security officers of the division were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In memory of their feat, in 1947, a monument “Chekists - Defenders of the City” was erected on the Chekist Square. It is a 17-meter pedestal, which is crowned with a bronze figure of a warrior with a naked sword raised high in his hand.

Not far from the monument to the security officers, on May 28, 2011, on the day of the border guard, the “Monument to Demolition Dogs, Tank Destroyers” was erected. The 10th NKVD division included a 28th separate detachment of demolition dogs, which destroyed dozens of German armored vehicles.

The 62nd Soviet Army was commanded by General V. Chuikov, an excellent organizer and tactician of war. His contribution to the Stalingrad victory was invaluable. Later, his experience of fighting in the city would come in handy during the storming of Berlin in 1945. For the defense of Stalingrad, V. Chuikov received the Order of Suvorov, 1st degree. In total, during the Second World War he was twice awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. It was V. Chuikov who surrendered and capitulated the Berlin garrison. According to his will, after his death on March 18, 1982, he was buried on Mamayev Kurgan at the foot of the Motherland monument. In 1990, a monument to the marshal was erected on the street named after him, on the site where the headquarters of the 62nd Army was located during the war. The author of the monument was his son, architect A. Chuikov.

In July 1942, units of the people's militia were formed from workers and employees of the Stalingrad Tractor Plant. On August 23, 1942, a massive offensive of Wehrmacht units began from the north along the Volga towards Stalingrad. Active Army was not in the city, but the factory militia, together with other volunteers, stopped the enemy, preventing the Germans from attempting to take Stalingrad right away. In memory of their feat, in 1983, a forged copper monument with a bas-relief of three militiamen was erected in the park near the plant.

During the war, the Stalingrad Tractor Plant completely switched to the production of military products - artillery and tanks. His role in creating the firepower of the Soviet army is invaluable, because he was the closest supplier of military products to the front line. In 1943, one of the T-34 tanks was installed near the main entrance of the plant in honor of the labor feat of the plant workers. It was one of the first monuments dedicated to the events of the Second World War. In 1949, the tank was placed on a pedestal, and in 1978, reconstruction was carried out.

A unique memorial complex dedicated to the events of the Battle of Stalingrad was created in Volgograd in the post-war years. From 1948 to 1954, 17 T-34 tank turrets were installed on granite pedestals in four districts of the city. The monuments are installed at the points of maximum approach of German troops to the banks of the Volga and form a line 30 km long, the distance between pedestals is 2-3 kilometers. Tank turrets were assembled from equipment lost in the Battle of Stalingrad. Turrets of T-34 tanks of various modifications, manufacturers, with traces of battles and holes were selected.

Stalingrad is a hero city located on the great Russian Volga River. For some, he is a symbol of the perseverance and dedication of the Russian people.

Some associate this name with the name of I.V. Stalin, a rather controversial figure in the history of the country. In this article we will tell you in detail what Stalingrad is now called and how to find it on the map.

Founding history

His story begins in 1589. The city occupied the island of Tsaritsyn, located at the confluence of the river of the same name into the Volga. Exactly Tsaritsa River this populated area owes its first name - Tsaritsyn. It has always had strategic importance in military conflicts and various unrest. At the time of its foundation, the fortress garrison fought off nomadic raids on river caravans in the area of the Volgodonsk Isthmus.

During the turbulent XVII-XVIII centuries. the city was sacked and burned several times. Time of Troubles became for him the period of his first serious trials. The city, which supported the false rulers, was burned by government troops. It was rebuilt in 1615, not on the island, but on the banks of the Volga.

During numerous uprisings and peasant wars During this period, Tsaritsyn was at the epicenter of events. The last significant clash of this time was the defense of the city from the troops of Emelyan Pugachev. Tsaritsyn became the only settlement in the lower Volga that did not submit to Pugachev. For his brave actions, the commandant of the fortress was awarded the rank of general.

From the second half of the 18th century, due to significantly expanded borders, the city became a quiet and peaceful settlement.

The 19th century becomes a time of active expansion and development for Tsaritsyn. A school, a pharmacy and a coffee shop are opening. Appear industrial enterprises. In the second half of the century the city became a major railway junction. The convenience of the location and developed infrastructure make it possible to open large industrial enterprises in it: a metallurgical and weapons factory, kerosene production.

The period of quiet life and development was stopped by the tragic events of the early 20th century. During Civil War Tsaritsyn became a Bolshevik stronghold in the Volga region. He withstood 3 assaults by the White Guards. In these events, J.V. Stalin, commander of the North Caucasus Military District at that time, played an important role.

As a result of the fourth attempt, the settlement came under the control of the white army for a short time. At the beginning of 1920, Tsaritsyn finally became subordinate to the Red Army. These events caused a lot of grief to the residents of the city and significantly weakened its economy.

Following these tragic events, famine came to the settlement, which claimed the lives of several million people. Foreign charitable organizations provided assistance to the townspeople, and good harvest and the end of the Civil War in 1923 marked the beginning of a new rise for the brave city on the Volga.

In the Soviet state there could not be a city with a name reminiscent of the country's tsarist past. It was decided to rename it. in honor of a man who distinguished himself during the defense of the city from White Guard detachments. It is under this name that the settlement on the Volga will become a world famous place.

The years 20−30 became a period for Stalingrad active development industry and social sphere. Existing enterprises were restored and new ones were built: tractor and hardware plants, a shipyard. The city was actively developing public transport, was carried out housing construction, education and medicine developed. Stalingrad grew and improved.

Trial by war

Peacetime for both the city and the entire country ended in 1941. The enterprises of Stalingrad completely switched to the production of military products. Women and children stood at the machines. And in July 1942, the war came directly to the Volga. On July 17, the bloody and heroic Battle of Stalingrad began, which claimed the lives of more than a million people - soldiers, women, children, old people.

During the air raids, most of the city areas were destroyed. But the residents of Stalingrad, living in dugouts and fleeing airstrikes in the basements, continued to build fortifications and go to work at the machines. For 200 long days, Soviet troops and residents of Stalingrad held back the Nazi army. The perseverance, courage, heroism and dedication of the Soviet people made it possible not only to defend the city, but also to encircle (November 1942), and then defeat (February 1943) the army of General Paulus.

The significance of this victory cannot be overestimated. At a huge cost human casualties Soviet Union turned the tide of events in World War II. The Nazi plans were destroyed. Their allies changed their minds, and many of them began to look for ways out of hostilities.

And Stalingrad lay in ruins. About 35 thousand inhabitants remained alive, although almost half a million people lived here before the war. The huge number of dead bodies of people and animals on the streets threatened a new disaster - an epidemic. But the heroic city began to recover.

In a relatively intact area - the village of Beketovka - city services were located and deployed medical institutions, city transport began operating, and the most surviving buildings were being repaired. But the war was not over yet, and the main resources were used to restore the defense industry.

Most of the Stalingrad factories resumed work in 1943, and in 1944, already assembled tanks and tractors rolled off the assembly line.

The 50s became a period of another active construction in Stalingrad. The housing stock was actively restored and public buildings were built. New streets and squares appeared. And in 1952, the Volgodonsk Canal named after I.V. Stalin was opened. A lot of objects in the city were dedicated to the “Leader of the Peoples”. But this was the case until 1953.

The city after the debunking of the cult of personality

After Stalin’s death, N.S. Khrushchev, who replaced him, began “debunking the cult of personality.” Monuments to Stalin were demolished, the names of objects named in his honor were changed. This phenomenon could not ignore the glorious Volga city. In 1961, Stalingrad was renamed Volgograd.

Volgograd was still actively developing and growing. In 1967, the Mamayev Kurgan memorial complex was built, supplemented in 1985 with the “Battle of Stalingrad” panorama. In the 60-80s, new industrial enterprises, educational and cultural institutions opened. A transport network was actively built: the Astrakhan Bridge, Volgograd metro stations, highways connecting the city with neighboring settlements.

The post-Soviet life of Volgograd, like the whole country, began with a decline in all areas of industry and economy. Enterprises closed, residential and public construction stopped, and numerous scammers and dubious enterprises appeared.

With the beginning of the 2000s, life in Volgograd began to improve again. Frozen facilities were being completed, the transport network and public institutions were being developed. But even in this time of peace, Volgograd residents are tested for their fortitude and fortitude. The city has repeatedly become the target of terrorist attacks.

Modern disputes about the name of Volgograd

Now there is a debate about the need to return the city's historical name - Stalingrad. This idea has both supporters and opponents. This idea appeared not in Volgograd society, but in the circles of metropolitan politicians. About 30% of Volgograd residents support the initiative to return the name Stalingrad to the city. They justify their position with the following arguments:

the renaming is a tribute to the heroism of the people in the Battle of Stalingrad;
this will help raise the level of patriotism among young people in the first place;
it is by this name that the settlement is known all over the world;
Stalingrad and Stalin are not the same thing;
Volgograd needs to return its historical name.

Opponents of the renaming idea point to the fact that the historical name of the city on the Volga is Tsaritsyn - the name given to it at its founding. It is also noted that the majority of the country’s residents still associate the name Stalingrad with the name of I.V. Stalin, whose role in the history of the country is ambiguous. Renaming will require huge funds, which local authorities do not have at their disposal.

There is a third point of view. Many residents don’t care what name they live in. Volgograd residents want solutions to their pressing economic problems.

Local authorities eventually agreed and officially assigned the name Stalingrad to the city during the days reminiscent of difficult trials and heroic events:

February 2 - Military Glory Day;
February 23 - Defender of the Fatherland Day;
May 8 - Day of awarding the city the title of “hero city”;
May 9 - Victory Day;
June 22 - Day of Remembrance and Sorrow;
August 23 - Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Bombing of Stalingrad;
September 2 - Day of the end of the war;
November 19 - Day of the beginning of the defeat of Nazi troops at Stalingrad;
December 9 is Heroes Day.

It doesn’t matter what the name of the brave city on the Volga was: Tsaritsyn in the era of the monarchy, Stalingrad in the era of its formation Soviet power and the bloody World War or Volgograd in modern times. The only important thing is that this city has always guarded the peace of the country and bravely resisted all troubles and challenges.