Hall of Military Glory (Zal Voinskoy Slavy) — Attraction in Volgograd

Together with The Motherland Calls, this is also a historically significant memorial monument to Russia dedicated to the people of Volgograd in memory of the hardship endured during World War 2. It is a very beautiful place and a must-visit if you have the chance to visit Volgograd.

The Hall of Military Glory is the final element of the Mamayev Kurgan memorial complex through which visitors pass before the final ascent to the Motherland Calls statue at the top of the hill. During the early stages of planning of the complex, one proposal was for the hall to hold the panorama museum that is now located overlooking the Volga near the city centre.

The hall is 42 metres in diameter and the highest point of the ceiling is 13.5 metres. It is dominated by a sculpture of a hand holding a torch in which an eternal flame burns. An honour guard is provided by soldiers of the 46th Infantry Company of the Volgograd Garrison from 9:00 am to 7:00 or 8:00 pm, with an hourly changing of the guard ceremony. Thirty-four symbolic red banners line the wall of the hall, listing the names of about 7,200 of the defenders of Stalingrad.

An inscription around the upper part of the wall reads "Yes, we were mere mortals, and only a few of us survived, but we all fulfilled our patriotic duty to the sacred Motherland." The orange and black stripes on which the text is overlaid are the colours of the ribbon of the Order of St George, the highest purely military decoration of the Soviet Union and, subsequently, the Russian Federation. A recording of Robert Schumann's "Daydream" is played on a continual loop.

The entrance to the hall is through a wall decorated with bas-reliefs depicting the Red Army's final victory at Stalingrad. The inscription over the entrance reads "Our people will remember forever the greatest battle in history, which was fought by the walls of Stalingrad." To the right of the entrance, an image of a group of German prisoners is accompanied by the text "The fascist warriors wanted to see the Volga. The Red Army gave them this opportunity."

A ramp that curves around the wall brings visitors to the exit at the upper level of the hall. The grave of Vasily Chuikov, whose command of the 62nd Army was so vital in the Battle of Stalingrad, is beside this exit.

After the war, the Soviet authorities commissioned the enormous Mamayev Kurgan memorial complex. Vasily Chuikov, who led Soviet forces at Stalingrad, lies buried at Mamayev Kurgan, the only Marshal of the Soviet Union to be buried outside Moscow. Among the other people buried there, sniper Vasily Zaytsev was also reburied there in 2006.

The monumental memorial was constructed between 1959 and 1967, and is crowned by a huge allegorical statue of the Motherland on the top of the hill. The monument, designed by Yevgeny Vuchetich, has the full name "The Motherland Calls!" It consists of a concrete sculpture, 52 metres tall, and 85 metres from the feet to the tip of the 27-metre sword, dominating the skyline of the city of Stalingrad (later renamed Volgograd).

The construction uses concrete, except for the stainless-steel blade of the sword, and is held on its plinth solely by its own weight. The statue is evocative of classical Greek representations of Nike, in particular the flowing drapery, similar to that of the Nike...

The Hall of Military Glory is a cylinder-shaped building 13.5 m high and 42 m in diameter. First of all, visitors enter the gallery, in the depths of which on the wall there is a mosaic depicting the medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad". Further, the so-called tunnel leads directly into the oval-shaped hall itself. In its center, on the ceiling, there is a round opening from which the Motherland is seen from a certain angle, under it is a giant marble hand holding a symbolic lighted torch (this is the most popular place for photographs).

The work of the famous German composer Robert Schumann "Dreams" is played around the clock in the Hall of Military Glory.

In the hall there is a guard of honor, which changes every hour. And along the perimeter on the walls are the names of the defenders who died at Stalingrad - about 7.5 thousand heroes, their names are carved on scarlet slabs bordered with mourning ribbons. After passing through the hall, you will come out to the...

A sanctum to memorize the sacrifice of the heroes.

By the day I was there (Aug.8, 2018). A soldier on duty felt not well. His face looked bloodless, and was sweating a lot. But he was still trying to insist. The commander saw it and fed the soldier a square sugar. Then took out a pot of vodka, let him smell. And it worked well.

Don't forget to bring a...