Volgograd facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Volgograd (English)Волгоград (Russian) |
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- City - | |
Counterclockwise: The Motherland Calls, the railway station, Planetarium, The Metrotram, Panorama of the City, Gerhardt Mill, Mamayev Kurgan |
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Anthem | none |
City Day | Second Sunday of September |
Administrative status | |
Country | Russia |
Federal subject | Volgograd Oblast |
Administratively subordinated to | city of oblast significance of Volgograd |
Municipal status | |
Urban okrug | Volgograd Urban Okrug |
Head | Alexander Chunakov |
Representative body | City Duma |
Statistics | |
Population (2010 Census, preliminary) |
1,021,215 inhabitants |
- Rank in 2010 | 12th |
Time zone | MSK (UTC+04:00) |
Founded | 1589 |
City status since | the end of the 18th century |
Postal code(s) | 400000–400002, 400005–400012, 400015–400017, 400019–400023, 400026, 400029, 400031–400034, 400036, 400038–400040, 400042, 400046, 400048–400055, 400057–400059, 400062–400067, 400069, 400071–400076, 400078–400082, 400084, 400086–400089, 400093, 400094, 400096–400098, 400105, 400107, 400108, 400110–400112, 400117, 400119–400125, 400127, 400131, 400136–400138, 400700, 400880, 400890, 400899, 400921–400942, 400960–400965, 400967, 400970–400979, 400990–400993 |
Dialing code(s) | +7 8442 |
Official website: http://www.volgadmin.ru |
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 millon people. The city was made famous for its heroic resistance and bloody siege during the Battle of Stalingrad taking place during World War II.
Contents
History
Volgograd developed from 1589 when the fortress of Tsaritsyn was founded at the confluence of 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 checked 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 in 1961.
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
As of 2008, Volgograd has 21 sister cities:
- Coventry, England, United Kingdom (1943)
- 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)
- Cleveland, Ohio, United States (1990)
- Toronto, Canada (1991)
- Jilin, China (1994)
- Yerevan, Armenia (1998)
- Chengdu, China (1998)
- Kruševac, Serbia (1999)
- Rousse, Bulgaria (2001)
- Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, United States (2003)
- 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.
Gallery
Images for kids
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The presentation of the Sword of Stalingrad at the Tehran Conference
See also
In Spanish: Volgogrado para niños