VOLGOGRAD, Russia
he winding path to the top of Mamayev Kurgan leads to the main monument of memorial complex, the symbolic statue of the Motherland., a mother standing guard over her country, her raised sword threatening to destroy any who dare to invade her land, and calling on her sons to follow her example. The statue of the Motherland is the focal point of the ensemble. From its base the whole of the memorial complex and the city stretched out below can be seen.

Completed in 1967, the statue "Motherland is Calling" is 52 metres high (171 feet), made of 7900 tons of reinforced concrete. The sword is made of stainless steel, 29 metres long and weighs 14 tons. An aperture has been left in the sword blade to reduce wind resistance. The hanging part of the scarf weighs 250 tons. The statue stands on a plinth, just over 2 metres thick, which in turn rests on the main foundation. This foundation is 16 metres in height, but mostly covered with earth. The statue not fixed to the plinth by anything but its own weight. At night the statue is illuminated by floodlights.

The Statue is the centerpiece of the Mamayev Kurgan museum complex in Volgograd, built to commemorate the World War II Battle of Stalingrad, a key turning point in the War. The statue stands atop Mamal Hill, the site of the battle's most intense fighting.

The city of Volgograd was established in the late 16th century to defend the land that Ivan the Terrible had wrested from the Tatars. Then known as Tsaritsyn. In 1925, as Stalin rose to power in the Soviet government, the city was renamed Stalingrad.

10 November 1961, at the 22nd Congress of the Communist Party, the city of Stalingrad was renamed Volgograd in honor of the river on whose banks it stands.

Air routes: The Volgograd Airport is located in about 30 minutes of car ride from the downtown. There are several daily flights to and from Moscow served by Aeroflot and the local airline Volga-Aviaexpress, the flight time to Moscow is 1 hour 40 minutes. The Volgograd Airport does manage international flights to countries of the former Soviet Union, including Armenia and Moldova. However, most foreign travelers make their flight arrangements using Moscow as the routing city abroad due to more predictability and consistent scheduling of flights.
Railways: The passenger terminal Volgograd-1, located in the city center, provides railway connection with almost every major city in Russia. It takes 22-24 hours to get to Moscow by train. Volgograd offers four railroad cargo terminals - Volgograd II, Maxim Gorky, Sarepta and Gumrak. The customs office will, at the company's request, send a customs agent to meet and clear the incoming/outgoing goods.
Main roads: There are three main highways, Moscow-Astrakhan, Volgograd-Rostov, and Elista-Saratov.