Tourism
Volgograd is one of the most rapidly developing tourist centers in the South of Russia with long-established traditions of historic tourism. Its Memorial Ensemble on the Mamayev Hill and the Museum-Panorama “The Battle of Stalingrad” are among the world known symbols of World War II that still attract to Volgograd numerous tourists both from Russia and abroad. Volgograd comprises a large quantity of memorable objects both of regional and federal importance.
The most prominent place among the historic monuments is occupied by the historic and memorial complex “To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad” with the main monument – the statue “Motherland Calls!” topping the place of the cruelest and bloodiest fighting – Height 102.0 or also known as the Mamayev Hill.
However, the patriotic and military sites are only one share of the wide cultural and historic heritage attracting visitors’ attention. Volgograd region is a keeper of the culture characteristic for the South of Russia and the Lower Volga Region.
On the territory of Volgograd region, there are 58 museums, 1,164 historic objects, 923 architecture sites, 9 artistic sites, more than 20,000 archeological sites, 162 nature sites. The 7 nature parks located in the region cover the territory of more than 600,000 ha. The region is also famous for its churches and monasteries, the oldest of the latter being the Ust-Medvedsky Spaso-Preobrazhensky Convent (the Convent of Transfiguration of the Savior) and the Kremensko-Voznesensky Monastery (Ascension Monastery).
Volgograd citizens and visitors enjoy boat cruises along numerous Russian rivers including the Volga, the Oka, the Don, the Kama, the Svir. Active tourism is in high demand, too, like cycling, horse-riding and walking along the special routes, kayaking and canoeing on the Don, the Khopyor River, the Medveditsa River and the Akhtuba. The salt lake Elton is famous for its holistic properties.
Among the historic sites bearing no connection to the Great Patriotic War of 1942-1945, there are:
• Tsaritsyn Fire Observation Tower,
• The premise of the Museum of Local History, previously occupied by the Noble Council of Tsaritsyn,
• The Colony of gernguter brothers in the Old Sarepta.
Monuments dedicated to the Battle of Stalingrad:
• The statue “Motherland Calls!” on the Mamayev Hill
• Museum-Panorama “The Battle of Stalingrad”
• Ruins of the Old Mill (one of the few building left unrestored after the Battle)
Memorials and architectural ensembles of post-war Volgograd:
• The Obelisk to the defenders of Red Tsaritsyn on the Alley of Heroes
• The Square of Felix Dzerzhinsky
• The “Volgograd I” train station
• Volga-Don Channel in the name of Vladimir Lenin
• Volgograd Planetarium
Sites built during the period from 1991 to 2012:
• “Volgograd City” – a recently completed business complex famous for its modern architecture,
• “Volga Sails” – a housing complex on the bank of the river, nicknamed “Sails” due to the unusual coloring and shape of the premises,
• The Bridge over the Volga.
Development of the hotel network is an important constituent of tourism infrastructure of Volgograd and its region. Currently, the hotels and tourist reservations of Volgograd region have the overall capacity of 7,500 rooms, i.e 18,500 visitors. The establishments are divided into:
- 123 hotels,
- 184 tourist bases,
- 28 health resorts.
Volgograd itself has in its hotels about 2,500 rooms, which means it can welcome 5,000 visitors. Obviously, it is not enough for a millionaire city. Due to the rapid development of the tourist sector and the approaching World Cup 2018, Volgograd’s current objective is hosting nearly 2.5 times as many tourists in the nearest future.
Meet Volgograd