Footsteps of WWII · Russia & Belarus
Mamayev Kurgan and 'The Motherland Calls'
Memorial · Sep 1942 – Jan 1943
The story
Marked on military maps as Height 102.0, this hill overlooks central Stalingrad and the Volga crossings, and whoever held it could see and shell the river. From mid-September 1942 it changed hands repeatedly as the German 6th Army tried to reach the Volga and Chuikov's 62nd Army clung on. Fighting on the slopes went on until 26 January 1943, when Soviet forces advancing from the west broke through to the defenders. The memorial ensemble was built from 1959 and 'The Motherland Calls', 85 m to the tip of her sword, was unveiled on 15 October 1967. Yevgeny Vuchetich sculpted it; Nikolai Nikitin engineered it. About 34,505 defenders are buried on the hill, and Marshal Chuikov chose to be buried here.
What to look for
From the avenue at the foot, climb past the Square of Those Who Fought to the Death and the ruined-wall reliefs, to the circular Hall of Military Glory with its eternal flame and changing guard. Above, the vast sword-raising Motherland stands among the mass graves; Chuikov's grave is near her base.
Plan your visit
FCDO advises against all travel to Russia. The memorial is open and free for all visitors; museum-reserve guided excursions run daily 9:00–15:30. Expect long flights of steps. Check the website before you go.
Things change, so check opening times before you travel.
Nearby sites
- Pavlov's House, Volgograd · 3 km
- Panorama Museum & Gerhardt's Mill, Volgograd · 3 km
- Rossoshka war cemeteries · 29 km
All 160 sites in Footsteps of WWII →
Footsteps of WWII: Europe 1939–1945
A free field guide for your phone: the route, the maps and the stories built in, even with no signal. The whole Second World War in Europe, from the first shots at Westerplatte on 1 September 1939 to the German surrender in May 1945: Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, Normandy, Arnhem, Bastogne, Stalingrad, Berlin and the camps, in 15 areas from Britain to Russia.
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