Before the war, local people would call this area a hillock which sounded like “mamay”. During the Battle of Stalingrad it was named Vysota 102 (“Height 102″). The area acquired its new name (Mamayev Kurgan) after a reporter mentioned the word “kurgan” standing for “tumulus”.

The last shot was fired here to celebrate the victory over Paulus’ army.

According to Vuchetich, “It is an allegoric image of the Soviet warrior-nation that was ready to die in the last ditch and deliver a fatal blow to its enemy. Its body grows from the earth, as if turned into a rock – the invincible bastion against fascism. The warrior has merged with his mother-land, as if deriving its strength from it”.

This monument reflects the unconquerable spirit of Soviet people and thier selfless devotion to their Motherland. The monument-ensemble, built in honor of the great historical event and its heroes, reflects the essence and meaning of the Battle of Stalingrad.

The sword of the statue of the Motherland originally made of stainless steel covered with titanium sheets swayed in the wind so in 1972 they replaced it with a fluorinated one.

A. Eremenko was a commander of one of the fronts during the battle. The picture was taken during the construction of the monument.

Nikita Khrushchev examines the monument under construction.

There was a ship named Mamayev Kurgan in the USSR .

Location: Volgograd

via sergey-mazanov