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Volgograd , formerly called Tsaritsyn (1589-1925) and Stalingrad (1925-1961) is an important industrial city and the administrative center of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. It is 80 km (49.7 mi) long, north to south, situated on the western bank of the Volga River and has a population of 1.011 million people. The city was made famous for its resistance and extensive damage during the Battle of Stalingrad during World War II.
HistoryVolgograd originated with the foundation in 1589 of Tsaritsyn 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 Tsarist Russia. 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 centre in the 19th century. The city was the scene of heavy fighting during the Russian Civil War. Bolshevik forces occupied it during 1918, but were attacked by White forces under Anton Ivanovich Denikin. 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, when the fortress 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 the Tsarina 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 seventeenth 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 Cossacks Kondrati Bulavin. In 1717, Bulavin was sacked by the Crimean Tatars and Kuban. Later, in 1774, the city unsuccessfully stormed Yemelyan Pugachev. In 1691 Tsaritsin established customs. In 1708 Tsaritsyn was assigned to the Kazan province; in 1719 to Astrakhan; from 1779 to the Saratov Viceroyalty. In 1773 the city became the provincial and district town. In 1780 the city was under the Saratov governorship (later as a province). According to the census in 1720, the city's population was 408 people. In the 19th century, the population of the city increased rapidly: in 1807 less than 3000 people live in Tsaritsyn. By 1900: about 84,000. The first railroad came to the town in 1862. The first theater opened in 1872, and 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 assault were repulsed. However, in June 1919 Tsaritsyn was captured by White forces of General Denikin, which left the city in January 1920. The city was renamed Stalingrad after Joseph Stalin on April 10, 1925. This was officially to recognise the city's role in its defence against the White Russians in 1918-1920Breweres Dictionary of 20th Century Phrase and Fable. In 1931, in the city including the German settlement-colony Sarepta (founded in 1765), subsequently became the largest area of the city - Krasnoarmejskij. 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 and 1,798,619). The battle began on 17 July 1942, and on August 23 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 station of the city passed from hand to hand 13 times, and the famous Mamayev Kurgan (one of the heights of the city) was captured and recaptured 8 times. By the winter of 1942-43, the German forces controlled 90% of the city, and had cornered the Soviets into two narrow pockets. On November 19, Soviet forces launched a massive counterattack. This led to the eventual encirclement of the Sixth German Army. On January 31, 1943 its commander, Field Marshal Friedrich von 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 King George VI of the United Kingdom awarded the citizens of Stalingrad the jeweled "Sword of Stalingrad" in admiration of their bravery. A memorial complex commemorating the battle, 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. A number of cities around the world (especially that 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 Britain's Coventry during World War II (as both suffered extensive devastation from aerial bombardment). 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. Vasily Zaytsev is also widely presented as a hero in the movie "Stalingrad". 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 CPRF or 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 regional capital.EconomyModern 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.TransportVolgograd 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. The city river terminal is the centre 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.ClimateEducationInstitutions include: * Volgograd State University, * University (former Volgograd Polytechnical University), * University, * Volgograd State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, * Volgograd Academy of Industry, Administration, and * Volgograd State Pedagogical University.SportFC Volgograd and FC Rotor Volgograd are both Russian Second Division football clubs, having been relegated after being in the Russian Premier League in the early 1990s. Lukoil-Spartak represent the city in water polo.Famous residents* Ilya Borodin - footballer * Zakhar Dubenskiy - footballer * Sasha Fillipov - Red Army spy * Oleg Grebnev - hand ball player * Larisa Ilchenko - long distance swimmer * Yelena Isinbayeva, pole vaulter * Lev Ivanov (football manager) * Yuriy Kalitvintsev, Ukrainian football manager * Elem Klimov, film director * Vladimir Kryuchkov, politician * Tatyana Lebedeva, long jumper and triple jumper * Maxim Marinin, figure skater * Maxim Opalev, sprint canoer * Denis Pankratov Olympic swimmer * Aleksandra Pakhmutova, composer * Anton Sakharov, footballer * Oleg Sergeyev, footballer * Natalia Shipilova, handball player * Yelena Slesarenko, high jumper * Igor Vasilev, handball player * Oleg Veretennikov, footballer * Evgeni Plushenko, Olympic gold medal figure skater * Nikolay Davydenko, tennis playerInternational relationsTwin towns - Sister citiesVolgograd is twinned with:Volgograd
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Azerbaijani kills his nephew in Volgograd - APA  APA---Volgograd- - APA. A citizen of Azerbaijan was shot dead in -Volgograd-, APA reports. It happened in Rodnichok café in Dzerjinski yesterday. ... - Date : Fri, 02 Jul 2010 10:10:16 GMT+00:00 |
| Anna Chapman: Diplomat's daughter who partied with billionaires - The Guardian The Guardian--She grew up in the southern town of -Volgograd- (formerly Stalingrad) and came from an influential diplomatic family. She studied in -Volgograd's- middle school ... - Date : Wed, 30 Jun 2010 21:17:27 GMT+00:00 |
| Sexy spy used Wi-Fi for secrets - The Sun The Sun--She was born in February 1982 and studied at -Volgograd- school of art, graduating in 1998. The spy life ... Chapman at posh party and on Facebook, top left, ... - Date : Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:06:42 GMT+00:00 |
| EDITORIAL: Just say no to Uncle Joe Stalin - Washington Times Washington Times--More to the point, the city that had borne Stalin's name is now known as -Volgograd-. The D-Day Memorial should take its cues from those who knew Stalin best. ... - Date : Thu, 01 Jul 2010 06:57:54 GMT+00:00 |
| OMG! Anna Kuschenko Chapman is BP CEO Tony Hayward's daughter?? - The Spoof (satire) The Spoof (satire)--Officially the stunning looking Russian spook was born in the Ukraine and raised in -Volgograd-, formerly Stalingrad. But scientists at the UK's National ... - Date : Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:34:02 GMT+00:00 |
| Borzakovskiy and Savinova on the track, and Lebedeva and Silnov on the field ... - International Association of Athletics Foundation International Association of Athletics Foundation--I'm passing my exams at the Diplomatic Academy and besides I'm the deputy of the regional council of my native city of -Volgograd-. ... - Date : Thu, 24 Jun 2010 11:33:28 GMT+00:00 |
| New 'Dancing' Bridge Probe - The Moscow Times The Moscow Times--President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday ordered a second investigation into the safety of the now-infamous “dancing” bridge over the Volga River in -Volgograd-, ... - Date : Mon, 21 Jun 2010 20:55:23 GMT+00:00 |
| Quiet man Davydenko raises his profile - Wimbledon Wimbledon--Slight of frame and sparse of follicle, the man from -Volgograd- looks more like a bank clerk than a tennis player but, nevertheless, he crept quietly into ... - Date : Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:22:20 GMT+00:00 |
| Medvedev instructs to examine safety of Volga bridge - ITAR-TASS ITAR-TASS--“The -Volgograd- regional authorities were also instructed to carry out a complex examination of all bridge structures, including its underwater part for an ... - Date : Mon, 21 Jun 2010 06:12:10 GMT+00:00 |
| Fabrication of new tanker for Palmali launched in Volgograd - Azerbaijan Business Center Azerbaijan Business Center--Solemn keel-laying of the head tanker out of series of the RST22M Project's 10 vessels with deadweight of 7000 tons has been held in -Volgograd-. ... - Date : Fri, 18 Jun 2010 05:57:35 GMT+00:00 |
| * United Kingdom Coventry, England, United Kingdom (1943)* Czech Republic Ostrava, Czech Republic (1948)* Finland Kemi, Finland (1953)* Belgium Liège, Belgium (1959)* France Dijon, France (1959)* Italy Turin, Italy (1961)* Egypt Port Said, Egypt (1962) | * India Madras (Chennai), India (1966)* Japan Hiroshima, Japan (1972)* Germany Cologne, Germany (1988)* Germany Chemnitz, Germany (1988)* United States Cleveland, Ohio, United States (1990)* Canada Toronto, Canada (1991)* China Chengdu, China (1994) | * China Jilin, China (1994)* Armenia Yerevan, Armenia (1998)* Serbia Kruševac, Serbia (1999)* Bulgaria Rousse, Bulgaria (2001)* United States Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, United States (2003)* United States Orlando, Florida, United States (2008)* Azerbaijan Baku, Azerbaijan (2008) city |