Volgograd

Volgograd, formerly called Tsaritsyn (1589–1925) and Stalingrad (1925–1961) is an industrial city of great importance, and the administrative center of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. It is 80 km long, north to south, on the western bank of the Volga River and has a population of over 1.011 million people. The city was made famous for its heroic resistance and bloody siege during the Battle of Stalingrad taking place during World War II.

History

Volgograd developed from the fortress of Tsaritsyn in 1589. The fortress was at the meof the Tsaritsa and Volga Rivers. During the Russian Civil War the city was the scene of heavy fighting. Bolshevik forces occupied it during 1918, but were attacked by White forces. It was renamed as Stalingrad in 1925.

Under Stalin, the city became heavily industrialized as a centre of heavy industry and trans-shipment by rail and river. During World War II, Stalingrad became the center of the Battle of Stalingrad as well as a turning point in the war against Germany. Essentially, the German offensive was stopped at Stalingrad. The Battle of Stalingrad lasted from August 21, 1942 to February 2, 1943, where 1.7 million to 2 million Axis and Soviet soldiers were killed, wounded or captured, in addition to over 40,000 civilians killed. The city was reduced to rubble during the fierce fighting, but reconstruction began soon after the Germans were expelled from the city.

Nikita Khrushchev renamed the city because of de-Stalinization in 1961.

Twin towns — Sister cities

As of 2008, Volgograd has 21 sister cities:

• United Kingdom Coventry, England, United Kingdom (1943)
• Czech Republic Ostrava, Czech Republic (1948)
• Kemi, Finland (1953)
• Liège, Belgium (1959)
• Dijon, France (1959)
• Turin, Italy (1961)
• Port Said, Egypt (1962)
• Chennai, India (1966)
• Hiroshima, Japan (1972)
• Cologne, Germany (1988)
• Chemnitz, Germany (1988)
• United States Cleveland, Ohio, United States (1990)
• Toronto, Canada (1991)
• Jilin, China (1994)
• Yerevan, Armenia (1998)
• Chengdu, China (1998)
• Kruševac, Serbia (1999)
• Ruse, Bulgaria (2001)
• United States Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, United States (2003)
• United States Orlando, Florida, United States (2008)
• Baku, Azerbaijan (2008) A number of communities in France and Italy have streets or avenues named after Stalingrad, hence Place de Stalingrad in Paris and the Paris Métro station of Stalingrad.