Volgograd (English) Волгоград (Russian)
-  City[1]  -
View of Volgograd
Location of Volgograd Oblast in Russia
Volgograd Location of Volgograd in Volgograd Oblast
Coordinates: 48°42′N 44°31′E / 48.7°N 44.517°E / 48.7; 44.517Coordinates: 48°42′N 44°31′E / 48.7°N 44.517°E / 48.7; 44.517
Coat of arms	Flag
City Day	Second Sunday of September[citation needed]
Administrative status (as of February 2010)
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Volgograd Oblast[2]
Administratively subordinated to	city of oblast significance of Volgograd[2]
Administrative center of	Volgograd Oblast,[citation needed] city of oblast significance of Volgograd[2]
Municipal status (as of March 2010)
Urban okrug	Volgograd Urban Okrug[3]
Administrative center of	Volgograd Urban Okrug[3]
Head[citation needed]	Roman Grebennikov[citation needed]
Representative body	City Duma[citation needed]
Statistics
Area	565 km2 (218 sq mi)[citation needed]
Population (2010 Census, preliminary)	1,021,244 inhabitants[4]
- Rank in 2010	12th
Population (2002 Census)	1,011,417 inhabitants[5]
- Rank in 2002	12th
Density	1,808 /km2 (4,680 /sq mi)[6]
Time zone	MSK (UTC+04:00)[7]
Founded	1589[8]
Previous names	Tsaritsyn (until 1925),[8] Stalingrad (until 1961)[8]
Postal code(s)	400001..400138[citation needed]
Dialing code(s)	+7 8442[citation needed]
Official website
Volgograd on WikiCommons

Volgograd (Russian: Волгогра́д; IPA: [ˌvəlɡɐˈɡrat] ( listen)), formerly called Tsaritsyn (Russian:  Цари́цын​ (help·info); 1589–1925) and Stalingrad (Russian:  Сталингра́д​ (help·info); 1925–1961) is an important industrial city and the administrative center of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. It is 80-kilometer (50 mi) long,^[9] north to south, situated on the western bank of the Volga River. Population: 1,021,244 (2010 Census preliminary results);^[4] 1,011,417 (2002 Census);^[5] 1,022,578 (1989 Census).^[10] The city became famous for its resistance, extensive damage, and death toll during the Battle of Stalingrad in World War II.

History[link]

Coat of Arms of Tsaritsyn (1857)

Although it is possible the city originated in 1555, it was first mentioned documentally in 1589 as Tsaritsyn,^[8] located at the confluence of the Tsaritsa and Volga Rivers. The fortress Sary Su (a local Tatar language name meaning: yellow water/river), was established to defend the unstable southern border of the country. It soon became the nucleus of a trading settlement. It was captured twice by Cossack rebels, under Stepan Razin in the rebellion of 1670 and Yemelyan Pugachev in 1774. Tsaritsyn became an important river port and commercial center in the 19th century.

The original name of the city, Tsaritsyn, was first recorded by English explorer Barry in 1579, though he did not refer to the city, but to the island on the Volga. The origin of the name is usually traced back to the Turkic "Sary-Su" (yellow water) or "Sary-Sin" (yellow island). The date of the founding of the city is considered to be July 2, 1589,^{[citation needed]} when the fortress of Tsaritsyn was first named in a royal charter. The fortress was located slightly above the confluence of the Volga River Queen on the right bank.

Before Tsaritsyn, in the mouth of the river, there was a settlement of the Queen of the Golden Horde.

In 1607, the fortress was in revolt against the king's troops but was suppressed six months later. In 1608, the city had its first stone church, St. John the Baptist.

At the beginning of the 17th century, the garrison consisted of 350-400 people.

In 1670, the fortress was taken by troops of Stepan Razin, who left after a month. In 1708, the fortress was held by insurgent Cossack Kondraty Bulavin. In 1717, Bulavin was sacked by the Crimean Tatars and Kuban. Later, in 1774, the city was unsuccessfully stormed by Yemelyan Pugachev.

In 1691, Tsaritsyn established customs. In 1708, Tsaritsyn was assigned to Kazan Governorate; in 1719^{[citation needed]}, to Astrakhan Governorate; According to the census in 1720, the city's population was 408 people. In 1773, the city became the provincial and district town. From 1779, it belonged to Saratov Viceroyalty. In 1780, the city was under Saratov Governorate.

The population expanded rapidly during the 19th century, increasing from fewer than 3,000 people in 1807 to about 84,000 in 1900.

The first railroad came to the town in 1862. The first theater opened in 1872, the first cinema in 1907. In 1913, Tsaritsin's first tram line was built, and the city's first electric lights were installed in the city center.

During the Russian Civil War, Tsaritsyn was under Soviet control starting from November 1917. In 1918, Tsaritsyn was besieged by White troops under Ataman Krasnov. Three assaults by White troops were repulsed. However, in June 1919 Tsaritsyn was captured by White forces of General Denikin, which left the city in January 1920. This was known as the Battle for Tsaritsyn.

The city was renamed Stalingrad after Joseph Stalin on April 10, 1925. This was officially to recognize the city's and Stalin's role in its defense against the Whites in 1918-1920.^[11]

In 1931, in the city including the German settlement-colony Sarepta (founded in 1765), subsequently became the largest area of the city — Krasnoarmeysky. The first institute was opened in 1930, a year later was opened and the Pedagogical Institute.

Under Stalin, the city became a center of heavy industry and transshipment by rail and river, and as a result was attacked by Axis forces during World War II. In 1942, the city became the site of one of the pivotal battles of the war. The Battle of Stalingrad saw perhaps the greatest casualty figures of any battle in warfare (estimates are between 1,250,000^[12] and 1,798,619^[13]). The battle began on August 23, 1942, and on the same day, the city suffered heavy aerial bombardment that reduced most of it to rubble. By September, the fighting reached the city center. The fighting was of unprecedented intensity; the central railway station of the city changed hands thirteen times, and the famous Mamayev Kurgan (one of the heights of the city) was captured and recaptured eight times. By early-November, the German forces controlled 90% of the city, and had cornered the Soviets into two narrow pockets but they were unable to eliminate the last pockets of Soviet resistance in time. On November 19, Soviet forces launched a massive counterattack. This led to the encirclement of the German Sixth Army and other Axis units. On January 31, 1943 the Sixth Army's commander, Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus surrendered, and on February 2, with the elimination of straggling German troops, the Battle of Stalingrad was over.

Stalingrad was awarded the title Hero City for its heroism in 1945, and Great Britain's King George VI awarded the citizens of Stalingrad the jeweled "Sword of Stalingrad" in admiration of their bravery. Stalingrad was destroyed during the war, and in 1946, the construction of a modern city started. It included the memorial complex on the Mamayev Kurgan. A number of cities around the world (especially those which had suffered similar wartime devastation) established sister/friendship/twinning links (see list below) in the spirit of solidarity or reconciliation. One of the first "sister city" projects was that established between Stalingrad and England's Coventry during World War II (as both suffered extensive devastation from aerial bombardment).

In 1961, the name was changed from Stalingrad to Volgograd ("Volga City") as part of Nikita Khrushchev's programme of de-Stalinization. This was and remains somewhat contentious, given the fame of the name "Stalingrad" and its importance in wartime remembrance. There were serious proposals to revert the name to "Stalingrad" during Konstantin Chernenko's brief administration in 1985. There remains a strong degree of local support for a reversion but intermittent proposals have been not yet accepted by the Russian government.

On May 21, 2007, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation obtained an important success in the Volgograd mayoral election. Communist candidate Roman Grebennikov was elected as mayor with 32.47% of the vote. Grebennikov is Russia's youngest mayor of a federal subject administrative center.

Administrative and municipal status[link]

Administratively, along with twenty-one rural localities, it is incorporated as the city of oblast significance of Volgograd—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts.^[2] Municipally, the city of oblast significance of Volgograd is incorporated as Volgograd Urban Okrug.^[3]

Economy[link]

Volgograd on the 1979 map

Modern Volgograd remains an important industrial city. Industries include shipbuilding, oil refining, steel and aluminium production, manufacture of machinery and vehicles, and chemical production. A large Volgograd Hydroelectric Plant stands a short distance to the north of Volgograd.

Transport[link]

Volgograd is a major railway junction serviced by Pri Volga Railway. Rail links include Moscow; Saratov; Astrakhan; the Donbas region of Ukraine; the Caucasus and Siberia. It stands at the east end of the Volga-Don Canal, opened in 1952 to link the two great rivers of Southern Russia. European route E40, the longest European route connecting Calais, France with Ridder, Kazakhstan, passes through Volgograd. The M6 highway between Moscow and the Caspian Sea also passes through the city. The Volgograd Bridge, under construction since 1995, was inaugurated in October 2009.^[14] The city river terminal is the center for local passenger shipping along the Volga River.

Volgograd International Airport provides air links to major Russian cities as well as Antalya, Yerevan, and Aktau.

Volgograd's public transport system includes a light rail service known as the Volgograd metrotram. Local public transport is provided by buses, trolleybuses and trams.

The Volga River still is a very important communication channel.

Volgograd hosts one of the few floating churches in the world:^[15] the floating church of Saint Vladimir of Volgograd.^[16]

Climate[link]

Volgograd has a semi-arid or steppe climate (Köppen climate classification BSk)

Culture and recreation[link]

The Volgograd synagogue (1911), Port-Said street

A memorial complex commemorating the battle of Stalingrad, dominated by an immense allegorical sculpture of Mother Russia, was erected on the Mamayev Kurgan, the hill that saw some of the most intense fighting during the battle.

The Panorama Museum sited on the Volga contains artifacts from World War II. These include a panoramic painting of the battlefield from the location of the monument on Mamayev Kurgan. A rifle of the famous sniper Vasily Zaytsev (popularized in Western media in the film Enemy at the Gates) is also on display.

Education[link]

Higher education facilities include:

• Volgograd State University
• Volgograd State Technical University (former Volgograd Polytechnical University)^[18]
• Volgograd State Medical University^[19]
• Volgograd State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering
• Volgograd Academy of Industry
• Volgograd Academy of Business Administration^[20]
• Volgograd State Pedagogical University

Sports[link]

FC Volgograd and FC Rotor Volgograd are both Russian Second Division association football clubs, having been relegated after being in the Russian Premier League in the early 1990s. Lukoil-Spartak represent the city in water polo.

Notable people[link]

International relations[link]

Twin towns and sister cities[link]

Volgograd is twinned with:^[21][22]

• Several communities in France and Italy have streets or avenues named after Stalingrad, hence Place de Stalingrad in Paris and the eponymous Paris Métro station of Stalingrad.

References[link]

Notes[link]

Sources[link]

• Волгоградская областная Дума. Закон №139-ОД от 7 октября 1997 г. «Об административно-территориальном устройстве Волгоградской области», в ред. Закона №1998-ОД от 24 февраля 2010 г. «О внесении изменения в Закон Волгоградской области от 7 октября 1997 г. №139-ОД "Об административно-территориальном устройстве Волгоградской области"». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Волгоградская правда", №207, 1 ноября 1997 г. (Volgograd Oblast Duma. Law #139-OD of October 7, 1997 On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Volgograd Oblast, as amended by the Law #1998-OD of February 24, 2010 On Amending the Law #139-OD of Volgograd Oblast "On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Volgograd Oblast" of October 7, 1997. Effective as of the day of the official publication.).
• Волгоградская областная Дума. Закон №1031-ОД от 21 марта 2005 г. «О наделении города-героя Волгограда статусом городского округа и установлении его границ», в ред. Закона №2013-ОД от 22 марта 2010 г «О внесении изменений в Закон Волгоградской области от 21 марта 2005 г. №1031-ОД "О наделении города-героя Волгограда статусом городского округа и установлении его границ"». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования (22 марта 2005 г.). Опубликован: "Волгоградская правда", №49, 22 марта 2005 г. (Volgograd Oblast Duma. Law #1031-OD of March 21, 2005 On Granting Urban Okrug Status to the Hero City of Volgograd and on Establishing Its Borders, as amended by the Law #2013-OD of March 22, 2010 On Amending the Law of Volgograd Oblast #1031-OD of March 21, 2005 "On Granting Urban Okrug Status to the Hero City of Volgograd and on Establishing Its Borders". Effective as of the day of the official publication (March 22, 2005).).

External links[link]

v t e Administrative divisions of Volgograd Oblast of Volgograd Oblast Administrative center: Volgograd Cities and towns Dubovka Frolovo Kalach-na-Donu Kamyshin Kotelnikovo Kotovo Krasnoslobodsk Leninsk Mikhaylovka Nikolayevsk Novoanninsky Pallasovka Petrov Val Serafimovich Surovikino Uryupinsk Volgograd Volzhsky Zhirnovsk Districts Alexeyevsky Bykovsky Chernyshkovsky Danilovsky Dubovsky Frolovsky Gorodishchensky Ilovlinsky Kalachyovsky Kamyshinsky Kikvidzensky Kletsky Kotelnikovsky Kotovsky Kumylzhensky Leninsky Mikhaylovsky Nekhayevsky Nikolayevsky Novoanninsky Novonikolayevsky Oktyabrsky Olkhovsky Pallasovsky Rudnyansky Serafimovichsky Sredneakhtubinsky Staropoltavsky Surovikinsky Svetloyarsky Uryupinsky Yelansky Zhirnovsky

vep:Volgograd

Vasily Grigoryevich Zaytsev
Zaytsev with his Mosin-Nagant rifle in Stalingrad, October 1942
Nickname	Vasya
Born	(1915-03-23)March 23, 1915 Yeleninskoye, Russian Empire (now Chelyabinsk Oblast)
Died	December 15, 1991(1991-12-15) (aged 76) Kiev, Ukrainian SSR
Allegiance	Soviet Union
Years of service	1937–1945
Rank	Captain
Battles/wars	Great Patriotic War Battle of Stalingrad

Vasily Grigoryevich Zaytsev (Russian: Василий Григорьевич Зайцев; IPA: [vʌˈsʲilʲɪj ɡrʲɪˈɡorʲjevʲɪtɕ ˈzajtsɨf]; March 23, 1915 – December 15, 1991) was a Soviet sniper during World War II, notable particularly for his activities between November 10 and December 17, 1942, during the Battle of Stalingrad. He killed 225 soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht and other Axis armies, including 11 enemy snipers.^[1]

Prior to November 10, he had already killed 32 Axis soldiers with the standard-issue Mosin–Nagant rifle.^[1] Between October 1942 and January 1943, Zaytsev made 242 verified kills.

Early life[link]

Zaytsev was born in Yeleninskoye and grew up in the Ural Mountains, where he learned marksmanship by hunting deer and wolf with his grandfather and younger brother. When he was 5 years old, he killed his first wolf. His surname is based on the Russian word zayats (заяц) meaning "hare". He was nicknamed 'Vasya' by his friends.

War career[link]

Zaytsev served in the Soviet Navy as a clerk in Vladivostok. When Germany invaded the Soviet Union, Zaytsev, like many of his comrades, volunteered to be transferred to the front line. At the time he had already reached the rank of Sergeant Major.

World War II[link]

On 22 September 1942, Zaytsev crossed the Volga River and joined the 1047th Rifle Regiment of the 284th Rifle Division of the 62nd Army, headed by General Nikolai Batyuk. One day, Zaytsev’s commanding officer called him up and pointed at an enemy soldier in a window 800 meters away. Zaytsev took aim from his standard-issue Mosin-Nagant rifle, and with one shot, the soldier was down. In less than a few moments, two other German soldiers appeared in the window, checking their fallen officer. Vasily fired two more shots, and they were killed. For this, together with the Medal for Courage, Vasily was also awarded a sniper rifle.^[2] He is notable for having been elevated by propaganda to a virtual status of hero and served as an example and inspiration to other soldiers. His skill as a sniper allowed him to establish and run a snipers' training school in the Metiz factory. Zaytsev-trained apprentices were nicknamed zaichata, meaning "leverets" (baby hares). Antony Beevor wrote in Stalingrad that this was the start of the "sniper movement" in the 62nd Army. Conferences were arranged to spread the doctrine of "sniperism" and exchange ideas on technique and principles that were not limited to marksmanship skills. Vasilly's 28 students killed between 1000 and 3000 enemy soldiers during World War II.^[2]

During Zaytsev's career as a sniper, he would hide in all sorts of locations – on high ground, under rubble, in water pipes. After a few kills he would change his position. Together with his partner Nikolay Kulikov, Zaytsev would hide and sting. One of Zaytsev’s common tactics was to cover one large area from three positions with two men at each point – a sniper and scout. This tactic, known as the “sixes”, is still in use today and was implemented during the war in Chechnya.^[2]

Zaytsev took part in the battle for Stalingrad until January 1943, when he suffered an injury to his eyes from a mortar attack. He was attended to by Professor Filatov, who is credited with restoring his sight. On February 22, 1943, Zaytsev was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. He then returned to the front and finished the war in Seelow Heights in Germany with the military rank of Captain.

After the war, Zaytsev settled in Kiev, where he studied at a textile university before he obtained employment as engineer. He rose to become the director of a textile factory in Kiev, and remained in that city until he died in 1991 at the age of 76, just 10 days before the final dissolution of the Soviet Union. He was initially buried in Kiev despite his final request to be buried at Stalingrad.

Commemoration[link]

Zaytsev's rifle on display

On January 31, 2006, Vasily Zaytsev was reburied on Mamayev Kurgan in Stalingrad with full military honors. Zaytsev's dying wish was to be buried at the monument to the defenders of Stalingrad. His coffin was carried next to a monument where his famous quote is written: "For us there was no land beyond (the) Volga". Colonel Donald Paquette of the US Sniper School was present and laid a wreath as a sign of respect to a legendary sniper. US Army News quoted Colonel Paquette: "Vasily Zaytsev is a legend and every USA sniper must memorize his tactics and methods. He is a legend in the sniper community. May he rest in peace."^[1]

In popular culture[link]

In 2001, a feature length film, Enemy at the Gates, starring Jude Law as Zaytsev, the movie was based on part of William Craig's book Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad, which includes a "sniper's duel" between Zaytsev and a Wehrmacht sniper school director, Major Erwin König. Zaytsev himself indicates in his own memoirs that a three-day duel did indeed occur and that the sniper he killed was the head of a sniper school near Berlin. However, there is no evidence that any Major Erwin König ever existed, despite the claim made by the Armed Forces Museum of Moscow that they are in possession of his telescopic sight.

Honours and awards[link]

This article incorporates information from the equivalent article on the Russian Wikipedia.

• Hero of the Soviet Union
• Order of Lenin
• Order of the Red Banner, twice
• Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class
• Medal "For Courage"
• Jubilee Medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary since the Birth of Vladimir Il'ich Lenin"
• Medal "For the Defence of Stalingrad"
• Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"
• Jubilee Medal "Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945"
• Jubilee Medal "Thirty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945"
• Jubilee Medal "Forty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945"
• Jubilee Medal "30 Years of the Soviet Army and Navy"
• Jubilee Medal "40 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"
• Jubilee Medal "50 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"
• Jubilee Medal "60 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"
• Jubilee Medal "70 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"
• Honorary Citizen of the Hero City of Volgograd

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Zaitsev, Vassili (2003). Notes of a Sniper. Trans. David Givens, Peter Kornakov, Konstantin Kornakov. Ed. Neil Okrent. Los Angeles: 2826 Press Inc. ISBN 0-615-12148-9.
• Beevor, Antony (1998). Stalingrad. London: Penguin Books Ltd. ISBN 0-14-100131-3.
• Robbins, David L. (2000). War of the Rats. New York: Bantam Books. ISBN 0-553-58135-X.
• The Reader's Digest Illustrated History of World War II (1989). London: Reader's Digest Association Limited. ISBN 0-89577-333-3

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Vasily Zaytsev

• (Russian) Biography of Vasily Zaytsev at WarHeroes.ru
• (Russian) Zaytsev, Vasily (1981). Notes of a Sniper. (ZIP). Moscow: Sovremennik.
• Zaytsev, Vasily Russiapedia Military Prominent Russians at Russiapedia.rt.com
• Stick-Breaker and the Hare (Poem)