Editing Volgograd

{{Short description|City in Volgograd Oblast, Russia}}{{Redirect|Tsaritsyn|similar names|Tsaritsyno (disambiguation)}}
{{Redirect|Stalingrad|the World War II battle|Battle of Stalingrad|other uses|Stalingrad (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox Russian inhabited locality
| en_name                 = Volgograd
| ru_name                 = Волгоград
| image_skyline           = {{multiple image
|perrow = 1/2/2/1
|border = infobox
|total_width = 275
|image1 = MotherlandCalls1984.jpg
|caption1 = ''[[The Motherland Calls]]'' on [[Mamayev Kurgan]]
|image2 = May2015 Volgograd img18 Central station.jpg
|caption2 = [[Volgograd railway station|Volgograd Railway Station]]
|image3 = Dmitry Medvedev in Volgograd Oblast, March 2010-3.JPG
|caption3 = Eternal Flame
|image4 = May2015 Volgograd img13 PLenina metrotram station.jpg
|caption4 = The [[Volgograd Metrotram|Metrotram]]
|image5 = Volgograd. Memorial museum-panorama "The Battle of Stalingrad" P8050091 2200.jpg
|caption5 = [[Gerhardt's Mill]]
|image6 = The central embankment of Volgograd 006.jpg
|caption6 = Volgograd Central Embankment
}}
| image_map               = 
| pushpin_map             = Russia Volgograd Oblast#European Russia#Russia#Europe
| map_caption             = 
| coordinates             = {{coord|48|42|31|N|44|30|53|E|display=inline,title}}
| image_flag              = FlagVolgograd.svg
| flag_caption            = 
| image_coa               = Coat of arms of Volgograd city.svg
| coa_caption             = 
| anthem                  = 
| anthem_ref              = 
| holiday                 = Second Sunday of September
| holiday_ref             = <ref name="Charter0">Charter of Volgograd, Preamble</ref>
| federal_subject         = [[Volgograd Oblast]]
| federal_subject_ref     = <ref name="Ref151" />
| adm_district_jur        = 
| adm_district_jur_ref    = 
| adm_inhabloc_jur        = [[city of federal subject significance|city of oblast significance]] of Volgograd
| adm_inhabloc_jur_ref    = <ref name="Ref151" />
| adm_citydistrict_type   = 
| adm_selsoviet_jur       = 
| adm_selsoviet_type      = 
| adm_selsoviet_jur_ref   = 
| capital_of              = 
| capital_of_ref          = 
| adm_ctr_of1             = [[Volgograd Oblast]]
| adm_ctr_of1_ref         = <ref name="Ref151" />
| adm_ctr_of2             = city of oblast significance of Volgograd
| adm_ctr_of2_ref         = <ref name="Ref151" />
| inhabloc_cat            = City
| inhabloc_cat_ref        = <ref name="Charter0" />
| inhabloc_type           = 
| inhabloc_type_ref       = 
| mun_district_jur        = 
| mun_district_jur_ref    = 
| urban_okrug_jur         = Volgograd Urban Okrug
| urban_okrug_jur_ref     = <ref name="Ref921" />
| urban_settlement_jur    = 
| urban_settlement_jur_ref = 
| rural_settlement_jur    = 
| rural_settlement_jur_ref = 
| inter_settlement_territory = 
| inter_settlement_territory_ref = 
| mun_admctr_of1          = Volgograd Urban Okrug 
| mun_admctr_of1_ref      = <ref name="Ref921" /> 
| mun_admctr_of2          = 
| mun_admctr_of2_ref      = 
| leader_title            = Head
| leader_title_ref        = <ref name="HeadLegis">Charter of Volgograd, Article&nbsp;22</ref>
| leader_name             = Vladimir Marchenko
| leader_name_ref         = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.volgadmin.ru/d/admin/Leadership|title=Руководители|website=volgadmin.ru|access-date=29 January 2023}}</ref>
| representative_body     = [[Volgograd City Duma|City Duma]]
| representative_body_ref = <ref name="HeadLegis" />
| elevation_m             = 
| area_km2                = 859.35
| area_km2_ref            = 
| pop_2010census          = 1021215
| pop_2010census_rank     = 12th
| pop_2010census_ref      = <ref name="2010Census">{{ru-pop-ref|2010Census}}</ref>
| pop_latest              = 
| pop_latest_date         = 
| pop_latest_ref          = 
| population_demonym      = 
| established_date        = 1589
| established_title       = 
| established_date_ref    = <ref name="gr">{{Cite book |title=Энциклопедия Города России |publisher=Большая Российская Энциклопедия |year=2003 |isbn=5-7107-7399-9 |location=Moscow |pages=81–83}}</ref>
| current_cat_date        = 1780
| current_cat_date_ref    = <ref name="Charter0" />
| abolished_date          = 
| abolished_date_ref      = 
| postal_codes            = 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
| postal_codes_ref        = 
| dialing_codes           = 8442
| dialing_codes_ref       = 
| website                 = http://www.volgadmin.ru
}}
'''Volgograd''',{{efn|{{IPAc-en|ˈ|v|ɒ|l|ɡ|ə|ɡ|r|æ|d}} {{respell|VOL|gə|grad}}, {{IPAc-en|USalso|ˈ|v|oʊ|l|-}} {{respell|VOHL|-}}; {{lang-rus|Волгоград|a=ru-Volgograd.ogg|p=vəlɡɐˈɡrat|links=yes}}.}} [[geographical renaming|formerly]] '''Tsaritsyn'''{{efn|{{lang-rus|Царицын|p=tsɐˈrʲitsɨn}}.}} (1589–1925) and '''Stalingrad'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|t|ɑː|l|ɪ|n|ɡ|r|æ|d}} {{respell|STAH|lin|grad}}; {{lang-rus|Сталинград|p=stəlʲɪnˈɡrat|Stalingrad|Ru-Сталинград.ogg}}.}} (1925–1961), is the largest city and the [[administrative centre]] of [[Volgograd Oblast]], Russia. The city lies on the western bank of the [[Volga]], covering an area of {{convert|859.4|km2|abbr=off}}, with a population of slightly over one million residents.<ref name="est.2020">{{Cite web |date=August 4, 2020 |title=RUSSIA: Južnyj Federal'nyj Okrug: Southern Federal District |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/russia/cities/southern/ |access-date=October 18, 2020 |publisher=City Population.de}}</ref> Volgograd is the [[List of cities and towns in Russia by population|16th-largest city]] by population size in Russia,<ref name=2021Census>{{cite web|title=Оценка численности постоянного населения по субъектам Российской Федерации|url=https://rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/tab-5_VPN-2020.xlsx|publisher=[[Federal State Statistics Service (Russia)|Federal State Statistics Service]]|accessdate=1 September 2022}}</ref> the third-largest city of the [[Southern Federal District]], and the [[Volga#Biggest cities on the shores of the Volga|fourth-largest city]] on the Volga.

The city was founded as the fortress of ''Tsaritsyn'' in 1589. By the 19th century, Tsaritsyn had become an important river-port and commercial centre, leading to its rapid population growth. In November 1917, at the start of the [[Russian Civil War]], Tsaritsyn came under [[Bolshevik]] control. It fell briefly to the [[White Army]] in mid-1919 but [[Battle of Tsaritsyn|returned to Bolshevik control]] in January 1920. In 1925, the city was renamed ''Stalingrad'' in honor of [[Joseph Stalin]], who took part in defending the city against the White Army who had then ruled the country. During [[World War II]], [[Axis powers|Axis forces]] attacked the city, leading to the [[Battle of Stalingrad]], the [[List of battles by casualties|largest and bloodiest battle]] in the history of warfare,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Davis |first=Daniel L. |date=2016-11-28 |title=Why Stalingrad Was the Bloodiest Battle of World War II (and Perhaps of All Time) |url=https://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-skeptics/why-stalingrad-was-the-bloodiest-battle-all-world-war-ii-18535 |access-date=2022-03-17 |website=The National Interest |language=en}}</ref> from which it received the title of [[Hero City (Soviet Union)|Hero City]]. The Soviet victory at Stalingrad is widely held to be the turning point of World War II, leading to the destruction of the German army in the East. In 1961, [[Nikita Khrushchev]]'s administration renamed the city to ''Volgograd'' as part of [[de-Stalinization]]. 

Volgograd today is the site of ''[[The Motherland Calls]]'', an {{convert|85|m|adj=on}} high statue dedicated to the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad, which is the tallest statue in Europe, as well as the second tallest statue of a woman in the world. The city has many tourist attractions, such as museums, sandy beaches, and a self-propelled floating church. Volgograd was one of the host cities of the [[2018 FIFA World Cup]].<ref>[https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/world-cup-2018-stadiums-complete-guide-to-all-12-venues-in-11-russian-cities/ "World Cup 2018 stadiums: Complete guide to all 12 venues in 11 Russian cities - CBSSports.com", June 27, 2018] "The industrial city of Volgograd ... plays host to the following group stage games: Tunisia vs. England on June 18, Nigeria vs. Iceland on June 22, Saudi Arabia vs. Egypt on June 25 and Japan vs. Poland on June 28."</ref>

==Etymology==
Tsaritsyn was established in 1555 and was named after the [[Tsaritsa River]].<ref>{{Cite journal |date=July 2017 |title=Рощевская Л.П. Генетик П.Ф. Рокицкий в истории Коми филиала АН СССР (1949-1957 гг.) |journal=Genesis: исторические исследования |volume=7 |issue=7 |pages=105–121 |doi=10.25136/2409-868x.2017.7.23255 |issn=2409-868X|doi-access=free }}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=January 2025}} The name of Tsaritsyn was written as {{lang|ru|Царицынъ}}, with the [[hard sign]].

When [[Vladimir Lenin]] died in 1924, [[Joseph Stalin]] took charge as the [[General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union|General Secretary]]; Tsaritsyn was renamed Stalingrad in honour of his role in the defence of the city.<ref>{{Cite book |title=A History Of Russia |last=Moss |first=Walter G. |publisher=Anthem Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-85728-739-7 |pages=213 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yMwdWFtgV0QC&pg=PA213 |volume=2: Since 1855}}</ref> The name is derived from the compound of Stalin ({{lang|ru|Сталин}}; his name) and grad ({{lang|ru|[[wikt:град|град]]}}: name for a settlement in Russian).

In the aftermath of [[Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin|Stalin's death]], [[Nikita Khrushchev]] announced the policy of [[De-Stalinization]]. The name was changed to Volgograd in 1961, derived from the name of the [[Volga]] river, on whose bank the city is situated.

==History==
{{For timeline}}

===Tsaritsyn===
[[File:Tsaritsyn COA (Saratov Governorate) (1857).png|left|thumb|Tsaritsyn Coat of Arms (1857) which was the arms of [[Tsaritsynsky Uyezd|Tsaritsynsky Uezd]], in the [[Saratov Governorate]].]]

Although the city may have originated in 1555, documented evidence of ''Tsaritsyn'' at the [[confluence]] of the {{ill|Tsaritsa River|lt=Tsaritsa|ru|Царица (приток Волги)}} and [[Volga]] rivers dates from 1589.<ref name="gr" /> The structure stood slightly above the mouth of the Tsaritsa River on the right bank. It soon became the nucleus of a trading settlement.

At the beginning of the 17th century, the garrison consisted of 350 to 400 people. In 1607 the fortress garrison rebelled for six months against the troops of Tsar [[Vasili Shuisky]]. In the following year saw the construction of the first stone church in the city, dedicated to St. John the Baptist.

In 1670 troops of [[Stepan Razin]] captured the fortress; they left after a month. In 1708 the insurgent Cossack [[Kondraty Bulavin]] (died July 1708) held the fortress. In 1717 in the {{Interlanguage link|Kuban pogrom|ru|3=Кубанский погром}}, raiders from the [[Kuban River|Kuban]] under the command of the [[Crimean Tatars|Crimean Tatar]] {{Interlanguage link|Bakhti Gerai|ru|3=Бахти Герай}} blockaded the town and enslaved thousands in the area. In August 1774 [[Cossack]] leader [[Yemelyan Pugachev]] unsuccessfully attempted to storm the city.

In 1691 Moscow established a [[customs]]-post at Tsaritsyn.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-10-10 |title=Volgograd: History and Myth - GeoHistory |url=https://geohistory.today/volgograd/ |access-date=2022-08-22 |language=en-US}}</ref> In 1708 Tsaritsyn was assigned to the [[Kazan Governorate]]; in 1719{{citation needed|date=August 2011}} to the [[Astrakhan Governorate]]. According to the census in 1720, the city had a population of 408 people. In 1773 the settlement was designated as a provincial and district town. From 1779 it belonged to the [[Saratov Viceroyalty]]. In 1780 the city came under the newly established [[Saratov Governorate]].

In the nineteenth century, Tsaritsyn became an important river-port and commercial center. As a result, it also became a hub for migrant workers; in 1895 alone, over 50,000 peasant migrants came to Tsaritsyn in search of work.<ref name=Henze/> The population expanded rapidly, increasing from fewer than 3,000 people in 1807 to about 84,000 in 1900. By 1914, the population had again jumped and was estimated at 130,000.<ref name="Dixon">{{cite journal |last1=Dixon |first1=Simon |title=The 'Mad Monk' Iliodor in Tsaritsyn |journal=The Slavonic and East European Review |date=2010 |volume=88 |issue=1/2 |pages=377–415 |doi=10.1353/see.2010.0064 |jstor=20780425 |s2cid=147490431 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/20780425 |access-date=20 April 2022}}</ref> Sources show 893 Jews registered as living there in 1897, with the number exceeding 2,000 by the middle of the 1920s.<ref name="Krapivensky">{{cite journal |last1=Krapivensky |first1=Solomon Eliazarovich |title=The Jewish community of Tsaritsyn (Volgograd) at the turn of the nineteenth century |journal=Proceedings of the World Congress of Jewish Studies; Division B, the History of the Jewish People |date=1993 |volume=3 |pages=31–35 |jstor=23536822 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23536822 |access-date=19 April 2022}}</ref> At the turn of the nineteenth century, Tsaritsyn was essentially a frontier town; almost all of the structures were wooden, with neither paved roads nor utilities.<ref name=Dixon/> The first [[railway]] reached the town in 1862. The first [[theatre]] opened in 1872, the first [[Movie theater|cinema]] in 1907. In 1913 Tsaritsyn got its first tram-line, and the city's first electric lights were installed in the city center.

Between 1903 and 1907, the area was one of the least healthy in Europe, with a mortality rate of 33.6 for every 1000 persons. Untreated sewage spilled into the river, causing several [[cholera]] epidemics between 1907 and 1910.<ref name=Dixon/> Although the region had an active Sanitary Executive Commission that sent out instructions on the best ways to prevent outbreaks and dispatched a delegate from the Anti-Plague Commission to Tsaritsyn in 1907, local municipal officials did not put any precautions into place, citing economic considerations. The city's drinking water came directly from the river, the intake pipe dangerously close to both the port and the sewage drain. There were neither funds nor political will to close the port (the main hub of economic activity) or move the intake pipes. As a result, in the three years spanning 1908 to 1910, Tsaritsyn lost 1,045 people to cholera. With a population of only 102,452 at the time, that amounted to a 1.01% loss of the population.<ref name=Henze/>

Between 1908 and 1911, Tsaritsyn was home to [[Sergei Trufanov]], also known as the 'mad monk' Iliodor. He spent most of his time causing infighting and power struggles within the [[Russian Orthodox Church]], fomenting [[Antisemitism|anti-semitic]] zeal and violence in local populations, attacking the press, denouncing local municipal officials and causing unrest wherever he went. The most permanent mark he left on the city was the Holy Spirit Monastery ({{langx|ru|Свято-Духовский монастырь}}), built in 1909, parts of which still stand today.<ref name=Dixon/>

In light of the explosive population growth, the lack of political action on sanitation and housing, the multiple epidemics and the presence of volatile personalities, it is no surprise that the lower Volga region was a hotbed of revolutionary activity and civil unrest. The inability of the Tsarist government to provide basic protections from cholera on the one hand and subjecting the populace to strict but ineffective health measures on the other, caused [[1826–1837 cholera pandemic|multiple riots in 1829]], in the [[1881–1896 cholera pandemic|1890s]] and throughout the [[1899–1923 cholera pandemic|first decade of the 1900s]], setting the stage for multiple Russian revolutions and adding fuel to the political fire.<ref name=Henze/> During the [[Russian Civil War]] of 1917–1923, Tsaritsyn came under Soviet control from November 1917. In 1918 [[White Movement]] troops under [[Pyotr Krasnov]], the [[Ataman]] of the [[Don Cossack Host]], besieged Tsaritsyn. The Reds repulsed three assaults by the Whites. However, in June 1919 the White [[Armed Forces of South Russia]], under the command of General [[Anton Denikin|Denikin]], captured Tsaritsyn, and held it until January 1920. The fighting from July 1918 to January 1920 became known as the [[Battle for Tsaritsyn]].

<gallery mode="packed">
Вид города Царицына в первой половине XVII века.jpg|1636 View of Tsaritsyn
Tsaritsyn 003.jpeg|Pre-revolutionary Tsaritsyn
Gogolya str., Tsaritsyn (1914).jpg|1914 City tram on Gogolya St.
</gallery>

===Stalingrad===
On April 10, 1925, the city was renamed Stalingrad, in honor of [[Joseph Stalin]], General Secretary of the Communist Party.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lutz-Auras |first=Ludmilla |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t4z_r4PX0hQC&q=stalingrad+10+april+1925 |title="Auf Stalin, Sieg Und Vaterland!": Politisierung Der Kollektiven Erinnerung an Den Zweiten Weltkrieg in Russland |date=2012 |publisher=Springer-Verlag |isbn=978-3658008215 |page=189 |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Mccauley |first=Martin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-W3aAAAAQBAJ&q=stalingrad+10+april+1925 |title=Stalin and Stalinism |date=2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1317863687 |edition=3 |quote=10 April 1925: Tsaritsyn is renamed Stalingrad. |author-link=Martin McCauley (historian)}}</ref> This was officially to recognize the city and Stalin's role in its defense against the [[White movement|Whites]] between 1918 and 1920.<ref>''Brewer's Dictionary of 20th Century Phrase and Fable''</ref>

Once the Soviets established control, ethnic and religious minorities were targeted. The only Jewish school in the area was closed down in 1926.<ref name=Krapivensky/> In 1928, a campaign was launched by the Regional Executive Council to close down the synagogue in Stalingrad. Due to local resistance, they were not successful until 1929, when the council convened a Special Commission. The Commission convinced local municipal authorities that the building was in need of major repairs, was unsafe and much too small for the over 800 worshippers who regularly attended for high holidays.<ref name=Krapivensky/>

In 1931, the German settlement-colony [[Old Sarepta]] (founded in 1765) became a district of Stalingrad. Renamed ''Krasnoarmeysky Rayon'' (or "Red Army District"), it was the largest area of the city. The first higher education institute was opened in 1930. A year later, the Stalingrad Industrial Pedagogical Institute, now [[Volgograd State Pedagogical University]], was opened. Under Stalin, the city became a center of heavy industry and [[transshipment]] by rail and river.

====Battle of Stalingrad====
{{main article|Battle of Stalingrad}}
[[File:Destoyed Buildings in Stalingrad, 1942 (18).jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|right|Street in Stalingrad, 1942]]
[[File:RIAN archive 602161 Center of Stalingrad after liberation.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|left|After liberation, 1943]]
[[File:RIAN archive 2383 The ruins of Stalingrad.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|right|Factory after bombing, 1943]]

During [[World War II]], German and Axis forces attacked the city, which, in 1942, became the site of one of the war's pivotal battles. The Battle of Stalingrad was the [[List of battles by casualties|deadliest single battle]] in the history of warfare (casualties estimates vary between 1,250,000<ref>{{Cite book |last=Grant |first=R. G. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iU-pAQAACAAJ |title=Battle: A Visual Journey Through 5,000 Years of Combat |publisher=Dorling Kindersley |year=2005 |isbn=0-7566-1360-4}}</ref> and 2,500,000<ref>{{Cite book |last=Geoffrey |first=Roberts |title=Victory at Stalingrad |publisher=Routledge |year=2002 |isbn=978-0582771857 |edition=1st |pages=9 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Krinko |first1=Evgeniy |last2=Medvedev |first2=Maksim |date=2017-11-21 |title=Demographic Consequences of the Stalingrad Battle |url=https://doaj.org/article/b8c72326e8864f51b07185b99c9e10be |journal=Science Journal of Volgograd State University |language=ru |volume=23 |pages=91–104 |via=[[Directory of Open Access Journals]]}}</ref>).

The battle began on August 23, 1942, and on the same day, the city suffered heavy aerial bombardment that reduced most of it to rubble. [[Martial law]] had already been declared in the city on July 14. By September, the fighting reached the city center. It was of unprecedented intensity; the city's central railway station changed hands thirteen times, and the [[Mamayev Kurgan]] (one of the highest points of the city) was captured and recaptured eight times.

By early November, the German forces controlled 90 percent of the city and had cornered the Soviets in two narrow pockets, but they were unable to eliminate the last pockets of Soviet resistance before Soviet forces launched a [[Operation Uranus|huge counterattack]] on November 19. This resulted in the Soviet encirclement of the [[6th Army (Wehrmacht)|German Sixth Army]] and other Axis units. On January&nbsp;31, 1943, [[Field Marshal]] [[Friedrich Paulus]], the Sixth Army's commander, surrendered; by February&nbsp;2, with the elimination of straggling German troops, the Battle of Stalingrad was over.

The bombing campaign and five months of fighting destroyed 99% of the city.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Craig |first=William |url=https://archive.org/details/enemyatgatesbatt0000crai_r5p2/mode/1up |title=Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad |publisher=[[Reader's Digest Press]] |year=1973 |isbn=0141390174 |pages=385 |language=en}}</ref> Of the population of more than half a million before the battle, only 1,515 remained following the battle's conclusion.<ref name=":0" />

In 1945, the Soviet Union awarded Stalingrad the title [[Hero City (Soviet Union)|Hero City]] for its resistance. Great Britain's [[George VI of the United Kingdom|King George VI]] awarded the citizens of Stalingrad the jewelled "[[Sword of Stalingrad]]" in recognition of their bravery.<ref>{{Cite web |title=British cinema of the 1950s a celebration |url=https://expeditiorepositorio.utadeo.edu.co/bitstream/handle/20.500.12010/16033/British%20cinema%20of%20the%201950s%20a%20celebration.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |access-date=April 9, 2024 |website=expeditiorepositorio.utadeo.edu.co}}</ref>

A number of cities around the world (especially those that had suffered similar wartime devastation) established sister, friendship, and [[Town twinning|twinning]] links (see list below) in the spirit of solidarity or reconciliation. One of the first "sister city" projects was that established during [[World War II]] between Stalingrad and [[Coventry]] in the [[United Kingdom]]; both had suffered extensive devastation from aerial bombardment. In March 2022, this twinning link was suspended because of the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.coventry.gov.uk/news/article/4211/council-sends-letter-to-russian-twin|title = Council sends letter to Russian twin|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331084753/https://www.coventry.gov.uk/news/article/4211/council-sends-letter-to-russian-twin|archive-date=2022-03-31}}</ref>

===Volgograd===
[[File:Красноармейский_Район_-_Волга.jpg|right|thumb|Volga River in Volgograd|alt=]]
[[File:Volgograd 1979.jpg|thumb|Volgograd on a 1979 map]]
[[File:Kazan Cathedral on 13 July 2012 002.JPG|thumb|Kazan Cathedral]]
[[File:Volgograd - Building of Regional Committee of KPSS and Executive Committee 002.jpg|thumb|Building of the Oblast [[Duma]]]]
On 10 November 1961, [[Nikita Khrushchev]]'s administration changed the name of the city to Volgograd ("Volga City") as part of his programme of [[de-Stalinization]] following Stalin's death. This action was and remains somewhat controversial, because Stalingrad has such importance as a symbol of resistance during World War II.

During [[Konstantin Chernenko]]'s brief rule in 1984, proposals were floated to revive the city's Stalinist name for that reason. There was a strong degree of local support for a reversion, but the [[Council of People's Commissars of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|Russian Soviet government]] did not accept such proposals.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

On May 21, 2007, [[Roman Grebennikov]] of the Communist Party was elected as mayor with 32.47% of the vote, a plurality. Grebennikov became Russia's youngest mayor of a [[federal subjects of Russia|federal subject]] administrative center at the time.{{cn|date=July 2024}}

In 2010, [[Monarchism in Russia|Russian monarchists]] and leaders of the Orthodox organizations demanded that the city should take back its original name of Tsaritsyn, but the authorities rejected their proposal.{{cn|date=July 2024}}

On January 30, 2013, the Volgograd City Council passed a measure to use the title "[[Hero City (Soviet Union)|Hero City]] Stalingrad" in city statements on nine specific dates annually.<ref name="StalingradName">Decision #72/2149</ref><ref name="torygraf">{{Cite news |date=2013-01-31 |title=Russia revives Stalingrad city name |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-two/9839666/Russia-revives-Stalingrad-city-name.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130203110134/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-two/9839666/Russia-revives-Stalingrad-city-name.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-02-03 |access-date=2013-02-07}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2013-02-01 |title=Stalingrad name to be revived for anniversaries |work=[[BBC News Online]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21291674 |access-date=2013-02-07}}</ref> On the following dates, the title "Hero City Stalingrad" can officially be used in celebrations: 
* February&nbsp;2 (end of the Battle of Stalingrad), 
* February&nbsp;23 ([[Defender of the Fatherland Day]]), 
* May&nbsp;9 ([[Victory Day (9 May)|Victory Day]]), 
* June&nbsp;22 (start of [[Operation Barbarossa]]), 
* August&nbsp;23 (start of the [[Battle of Stalingrad]]), 
* September&nbsp;2 ([[Victory over Japan Day]]), 
* November&nbsp;19 (start of [[Operation Uranus]]), 
* December&nbsp;9 (Day of the Fatherland's Heroes)<ref name="StalingradName" />

In addition, in January 2013, 50,000 people signed a petition to Russian president [[Vladimir Putin]], asking that the city's name be permanently changed to Stalingrad.<ref name=torygraf/> President Putin has replied that such a move should be preceded by a local referendum and that the Russian authorities will look into how to bring about such a referendum.<ref name="en.itar-tass.com">{{Cite web |title=Putin says Russian city Volgograd can become Stalingrad again |url=http://tass.com/russia/735173 |website=TASS}}</ref> In 2025, the city's airport was renamed as [[Stalingrad International Airport]] following a decree by Putin in memory of the battle.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Putin Renames Volgograd Airport ‘Stalingrad’ to Honor WWII Battle |date=2025-04-30|url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/04/30/putin-renames-volgograd-airport-stalingrad-to-honor-wwii-battle-a88920 |access-date=2025-04-30|website=The Moscow Times |language=en}}</ref>

==Governance==
In 2011, the City Duma canceled direct election of the mayor and confirmed the position of City Manager. This was short-lived, as in March 2012, Volgograd residents voted for relevant [[amendments]] to the [[city charter]] to reinstate the direct mayoral elections.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2012 |title=Волгоград сдался выборам |url=https://www.gazeta.ru/politics/2012/04/05_a_4125905.shtml |website=www.gazeta.ru}}</ref>

===Administrative and municipal status===
[[File:Voroshilovskiy district of Volgograd 001.jpg|thumb|View of Voroshilovsky City District of Volgograd]]

Volgograd is the [[administrative center]] of [[Volgograd Oblast]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Europa Publications |title=The Territories of the Russian Federation 2004 |date=26 February 2004 |publisher=Taylor & Francis Group |isbn=9781857432480 |page=174 |chapter=Southern Federal Okrug |quote=The Oblast's administrative center is at Volgograd. |access-date=4 March 2017 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q61L0f9r8ioC}}</ref> Within the [[subdivisions of Russia#Administrative divisions|framework of administrative divisions]], it is incorporated as the '''[[city of federal subject significance|city of oblast significance]] of Volgograd'''—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the [[administrative divisions of Volgograd Oblast|districts]].<ref name="Ref151">Law #139-OD</ref> As a [[subdivisions of Russia#Municipal divisions|municipal division]], the city of oblast significance of Volgograd is incorporated as '''Volgograd Urban Okrug'''.<ref name="Ref921">Law #1031-OD</ref>

==Economy==

Although the city was on an important trade route for moving timber, grain, cotton, cast iron, fish, salt and linseed oil, the economic reach of the Volga was relatively small. When the first rail lines were linked up to Moscow in 1871, this isolated area was suddenly and efficiently connected to the rest of the empire. Thanks to that connection, the province became a major producer, processor and exporter of grain, supplying most of Russia. By the 1890s, the economy of Volgograd (then Tsaritsyn), relied mainly on the trade of grain, [[naphtha]], fish and salt.<ref name="Henze">{{cite book |last1=Henze |first1=Charlotte E. |title=Disease, Health Care and Government in Late Imperial Russia; Life and Death on the Volga, 1823-1914 |date=2015 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781138967779}}</ref> Modern Volgograd remains an important industrial city. Industries include [[shipbuilding]], [[oil refining]], [[steel]] and [[aluminum]] production, manufacture of heavy machinery and vehicles at the [[Volgograd Tractor Plant]] and [[Titan-Barrikady]] plant, and chemical production. The large [[Volgograd Hydroelectric Plant]] is a short distance to the north of Volgograd.
{{Further|topic=the private Russian bank|Volgoprombank}}

==Transportation==
Volgograd is a major railway junction served by the [[Privolzhskaya Railway]]. Rail links from the [[Volgograd railway station]] 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 Federal District|Southern Russia]]. [[European route E40]], the longest European route connecting [[Calais]] in [[France]] with [[Ridder, Kazakhstan|Ridder]] in [[Kazakhstan]], passes through Volgograd. The [[M6 highway (Russia)|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.<ref>{{Cite web |script-title=ru:Иванов открыл в Волгограде самый большой мост в Европе |url=http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=319840 |access-date=2011-02-09 |publisher=[[Rossiya 24|Vesti]] |language=ru}}</ref> The city river terminal is the center for local passenger shipping along the Volga River.

The [[Stalingrad 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|Volgograd Metrotram]].  Local public transport is provided by buses, trolleybuses and trams.

The [[Volga River]] still is a very important communication channel.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="100px">
May2015 Volgograd img16 trolley.jpg|[[Trolza|Trolza-5275]] low-entry trolleybus
May2015_Volgograd_img20_Gumrak_Airport.jpg|[[Volgograd International Airport]]
Volgograd tram 5865 2019-09.jpg|[[Volgograd metrotram]]
River-boat station in Volgograd 002.JPG|Riverboat Station
</gallery>

== Demographics ==

{{Historical populations
|type =
|footnote = Source: Census data
|1897 | 56500
|1926 | 153502
|1939 | 445312
|1959 | 593844
|1970 | 817647
|1979 | 928692
|1989 | 998894
|2002 | 1011417
|2010 | 1021215
|2021 | 1028036
}}

===Ethnic composition===
At the time of the official 2010 Census, the ethnic makeup of the city's population whose ethnicity was known (999,785) was:<ref name="etnicheski">{{Cite web |url=https://volgastat.gks.ru/wps/wcm/connect/rosstat_ts/volgastat/resources/87a35d804fde82279a5bff6be9e332ec/городские+округа.pdf |title=Национальный состав городских округов и муниципальных районов |website=Итоги Всероссийской переписи населения 2010 года по Волгоградской области |publisher=Территориальный орган Федеральной службы государственной статистики по Волгоградской области |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171104102057/http://volgastat.gks.ru/wps/wcm/connect/rosstat_ts/volgastat/resources/87a35d804fde82279a5bff6be9e332ec/%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B4%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B5+%D0%BE%D0%BA%D1%80%D1%83%D0%B3%D0%B0.pdf |archive-date=November 4, 2017 |access-date=2013-08-05 |url-status=live }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Ethnicity 
!Population !! Percentage
|-
| [[Russians]] 
|922,321|| 	92.3%
|-
| [[Armenians]] 
|15,200|| 1.5%
|-
| [[Ukrainians]] 
|12,216|| 1.2%
|-
| [[Tatars]] 
|9,760 || 1.0%
|-
| [[Azerbaijanis]] 
|6,679 || 0.7%
|-
| [[Kazakhs]] 
|3,831 || 0.4%
|-
| [[Belarusians]] 
|2,639 || 0.3%
|-
| [[Koreans]] 
|2,389 || 0.2%
|-
| Others 
| 24,750|| 2.5%
|}

==Culture==

===Mamayev Kurgan Memorial Complex===
[[File:Volgograd, Hall of Heroes 01 (4137818183).jpg|thumb|Hall of Military Glory]]
A memorial complex commemorating the battle of Stalingrad, dominated by an immense allegorical sculpture ''[[The Motherland Calls]]'', was erected on the [[Mamayev Kurgan]] (Russian: Мамаев Курган), the hill that saw some of the most intense fighting during the battle. This complex includes the Hall of Military Glory, a circular building housing an eternal flame and bearing plaques with the names of the fallen heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad. This memorial features an hourly changing of the guard that draws many tourists during the warmer months. Across from this Hall, there is a statue called Mother's Sorrow, which depicts a grieving woman holding a fallen soldier in her arms. During the summer months, this statue is surrounded by a small water feature, called the Lake of Tears. Further down the hill of this complex, there is a Plaza of Heroes (also known as Heroes' Square), featuring multiple allegorical sculptures of heroic deeds. This plaza is sometimes referred to by the title of the most famous of these sculptures, called "Having withstood, we conquered death".{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}

===Panorama Museum===
[[File:ST battle panorama IMG 4238-4289-49 img-10K.jpg|thumb|Panorama Museum of the Battle of Stalingrad, including Gerhardt's Mill]]
The Panorama Museum of the Battle of Stalingrad is a large cultural complex that sits on the shore of the [[Volga|Volga river]]. It is located on the site of the "Penza Defense Junction", a group of buildings along Penzenskaya Street (now Sovetskaya Street), which was defended by the 13th Guards Rifle Division. The complex includes [[Gerhardt's Mill]], which is preserved in its bombed out state. The museum on the complex grounds houses the largest painting in Russia, a [[panoramic painting]] of the battlefield as seen from [[Mamayev Kurgan]], where "The Motherland Calls" statue now stands. This museum also features Soviet military equipment from the 1940s, numerous exhibits of weapons (including a rifle of the famous sniper [[Vasily Zaitsev (sniper)|Vasily Zaytsev]]), uniforms, personal belongings of generals and soldiers involved in the battle and detailed maps and timelines of the battle.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}

===Planetarium===

[[File:May2015 Volgograd img17 Planetarium.jpg|thumb|Volgograd Planetarium]]
The Volgograd Planetarium was a gift from [[East Germany]] in honor of what would have been Stalin's 70th birthday.<ref>{{cite web |title=About Planetarium/Story |url=https://volgogradplanetarium.ru/about/history/poslevoennyy-stalingrad/ |website=VolgogradPlanetarium.ru |access-date=8 May 2022}}</ref> Neoclassical in style, the building facade is designed like a Roman temple, with six [[Tuscan order|Tuscan columns]] topped by capitals decorated with stars. Designed by [[Vera Mukhina|Vera Ignatyevna Mukhina]], the dome is crowned by a female personification of Peace, holding an astrolabe with a dove. Opened in 1954, it was only the second purpose-built planetarium in the Soviet Union. The entryway interior features a mural of Stalin in the white uniform of a naval admiral, surrounded by lilies and doves, more symbols of peace. On either side of the mural, are busts of [[Konstantin Tsiolkovsky]], a Soviet rocket scientist, and [[Yuri Gagarin]], a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut and the first human to venture into outer space. On the second floor, there are large stained glass windows, featuring images related to Soviet space exploration. The planetarium was outfitted with a [[Zeiss projector]], the first produced by the [[Carl Zeiss AG|Carl Zeiss Company]] in their [[Jena]] plant after the end of World War 2.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Firebrace |first1=William |title=Star Theatre: The Story of the Planetarium |date=2017 |publisher=Reaktion Books |location=United Kingdom |isbn=9781780238883}}</ref> The projector supplied was the UPP-23/1s model, which was produced between 1954 and 1964; it is still operational and in regular use at the Volgograd Planetarium. The projector was supplemented by a digital system in 2019; the Fulldome Pro model LDX12. Zeiss also provided the 365mm refractor telescope for the observatory, which is still in operation today.<ref>{{cite web |title=Volgograd Planetarium |url=http://www.aplf-planetariums.org/en/index.php?onglet=planetariums&menu=sheet_planetarium&filtre=1300 |website=World Planetarium Database |access-date=9 May 2022 |archive-date=August 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818033959/http://www.aplf-planetariums.org/en/index.php?onglet=planetariums&menu=sheet_planetarium&filtre=1300 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The planetarium hosts scientific and educational lectures, provides [[Fulldome]] shows, has scheduled tours, features daytime and nighttime observations and runs an astronomy club for children.<ref>{{cite web |title=Services |url=https://volgogradplanetarium.ru/services/ |website=VolgogradPlanetarium.ru |access-date=8 May 2022}}</ref>

===Other===
Across the street from the Panorama Museum, stands [[Pavlov's House]], another surviving monument to the Battle of Stalingrad. Several monuments and memorials can be found nearby, including a statue of Lenin, a statue in honor of children who survived war and another to the Pavlov's House defenders.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}

The [[Musical Instrument Museum (Volgograd)|Musical Instrument Museum]] is a branch of the Volgograd regional Museum of local lore.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}

==Religion==

As a port city along an important and busy trading route, Volgograd has always been a diverse place. An 1897 survey reveals 893 Jews (512 men and 381 women), 1,729 Muslims (938 men and 791 women), and 193 Catholics (116 men and 77 women).<ref>{{cite web |title=Tsaritsyn Synagogue |url=http://xn--80aqpk2ad9a.xn--p1ai/2013/04/154-sinagoga.html |website=Tsaritsyn Encyclopedia |access-date=24 April 2022}}</ref>

===Holy Spirit Monastery===
[[File:Svyato-Duhov Monastery in Tsaritsyn.jpg|thumb|Holy Spirit Monastery, before 1923]]
Land for the Holy Spirit Monastery was originally allocated in 1904, but construction did not begin until 1909 and was not complete until 1911. [[Sergei Trufanov]], also known as the 'mad monk' of Tsaritsyn, was the driving force behind fundraising and getting the project off the ground.<ref name=Dixon/> The original complex had a church that could accommodate 6,000 people, the monastery itself could house 500 and an auditorium that held 1,000. There was a school, space for workshops, a printing office and an [[almshouse]]. The land the monastery stood on also hosted multiple gardens, a fountain and several inner yards.<ref>{{cite web |title=Construction of the Monastery |url=http://www.sdmon.ru/o-monastyre/istoriya/stroitelstvo-monastyrya/ |website=www.sdmon.ru (Holy Spirit Monastery) |access-date=20 April 2022}}</ref>

In 1912, the monastery was divided to a male and female section, housing both monks and nuns. In 1914, the school on the grounds of the Holy Spirit Monastery became part of the city school system and in 1915, housed 53 girls whose fathers were on the front lines. During the [[Russian Civil War]], an infirmary was set up and the complex was alternately used by both the [[Bolsheviks]] and the [[White movement|Whites]]. In 1923, once the area was under firm Bolshevik control, the monastery was closed. During the following decades, the complex was used as an orphanage, a library, a cinema and a student hostel. Eventually, many of the buildings fell into disuse and became dilapidated. At the onset of the Second World War, the complex was given to the military and many of the original buildings were demolished.<ref>{{cite web |title=Monastery Transformations |url=http://www.sdmon.ru/o-monastyre/istoriya/preobrazovaniya-monastyrya/ |website=www.sdmon.ru (Holy Spirit Monastery) |access-date=20 April 2022}}</ref>

After the collapse of the USSR in 1991, the [[Diocese of Volgograd]] was established and the military began the process of transferring what was left of the Holy Spirit Monastery back to the church. A theological school was established in 1992 and restoration of the site continues today.<ref>{{cite web |title=Monastery Restoration |url=http://www.sdmon.ru/o-monastyre/istoriya/vosstanovlenie-monastyrya/ |website=www.sdmon.ru (Holy Spirit Monastery) |access-date=20 April 2022}}</ref>

===Alexander Nevsky Cathedral===
{{main|Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky (Volgograd)}}
[[File:Alexandro-Nevsky Cathedral Tsaritsyn.jpg|thumb|Original Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tsaritsyn, before 1932]]
Construction of the cathedral began on April 22, 1901, with the laying of the foundation stone by [[Hermogenes (Dolganyov)|Bishop Hermogenes]]. The domes were installed in 1915 and consecration took place on May 19, 1918. Almost as soon as it was built, the cathedral fell out of use. The Soviet powers closed it down officially in 1929, with the crosses and bells removed and the liturgical objects confiscated. The cathedral was then used as a motor depot and eventually demolished in 1932. In 2001, the long project of rebuilding the cathedral was begun. The first foundation stone was laid in 2016 and the finished replica was finally consecrated in 2021 by [[Patriarch Kirill of Moscow|Patriarch Kirill]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Patriarch Kirill Consecrates Restored St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Volgograd |url=https://www.pravmir.com/patriarch-kirill-consecrates-restored-st-alexander-nevsky-cathedral-in-volgograd/ |website=www.pravmir.com |access-date=23 April 2022 |date=20 Sep 2021}}</ref>

The new church stands in central Volgograd, bounded by Communist Street (Russian: Коммунистическая Улица) and Mir Street (Russian: Улица Мира) on the north and south and Volodarsk Street (Russian: Улица Володарского) and Gogol Street (Russian: Улица Гоголя) on the west and east, respectively. This area is also a park, called Alexander's Garden{{Efn|({{langx|ru|Александровский Сад}})}}. The cathedral stands across the street from a World War 2 monument, and a statue of and chapel for, the eponymous [[Alexander Nevsky]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}

===Floating Churches===
[[File:St Nicholas floating church.JPG|thumb|left|Original St.Nicholas floating church, consecrated in 1910]]
Volgograd hosts one of the few self-propelled floating churches in the world: the chapel boat of Saint Vladimir of Volgograd. Spearheaded by Vladimir Koretsky and assisted by a Dutch Orthodox priest who was part of the organization [[Aid to the Church in Need]] (ACN), the Saint Vladimir was consecrated in October 2004 on the shore of the Volga. Originally a decommissioned landing craft found in a shipyard outside St. Petersburg, it took two years to convert it into a floating church. The boat chapel sports three shining domes and was decorated with icons and religious motifs by a local Volgograd artist. On its maiden voyage, the Saint Vladimir reached [[Astrakhan]] in the south and [[Saratov]] in the north; traveling an 800 kilometer (~500 mile) span of the Volga River.<ref name="BarbaLata">{{cite journal |last1=Barba Lata |first1=Iulian V. |last2=Minca |first2=Claudio |title=The floating churches of Volgograd: river topologies and warped spatialities of faith |journal=Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers |date=2018 |volume=43 |issue=1 |pages=122–136 |doi=10.1111/tran.12208 |bibcode=2018TrIBG..43..122B |url=https://doi.org/10.1111/tran.12208}}</ref>

In addition to this self propelled church, Vladimir Koretsky first built two other floating churches in Volgograd, both of which must be towed by another craft. The Saint Innocent was originally a repair vessel and was located in a shipyard in Volgograd. Despite it being in poor condition, the boat had good sized cabins and a kitchen unit; the hull was restored, the largest cabins were merged and a single shining dome was added. Icons and sacred relics were donated by parishes from all over the country and the floating church was consecrated on 22 May 1998. During its first year in operation, it visited 28 villages, where 446 people were baptised and 1,500 received communion. The Saint Innocent was mobile for four months of the year, operating mostly on the Don River, and spent the rest of the time moored in [[Pyatimorsk]], providing a semi permanent church for that rural locality.<ref name=BarbaLata/>

Due to the success of the Saint Innocent, the ACN launched the creation of a second floating church, this time built atop an old barge. Christened the Saint Nicholas, in honor of the original floating church built in 1910, it was moored at a yacht club in Volgograd for several years, serving as a place of worship for passing ships crews. It was later towed to Oktyabrsky, a remote southern village of the Volgograd Oblast, to serve as a semi-permanent church.<ref name=BarbaLata/>

All of these floating churches were inspired by the original; a retrofitted tug-passenger steamer, which ran between Kazan and Astrakhan, named the Saint Nicholas. Commissioned in 1858, it was first christened the Kriushi, then the Pirate, until it was purchased by the [[Diocese of Astrakhan]] in 1910 and converted into a church. It served for 8 years, traveling up and down the Volga River, sometimes clocking 4,000 miles a year. Much like every other church in Russia, it was decommissioned in 1918 by the Soviets. It made such an impact on the local population however, that almost 80 years later, it was the inspiration for a new "flotilla of God".<ref name=BarbaLata/>

===Volgograd Synagogue===
[[File:Первая Царицынская синагога. ул. Балахинская д.6.jpg|thumb|First Volgograd Synagogue]]
Also known as Beit David Synagogue, it was named after David Kolotilin, a Jewish leader during the Soviet period. Although some sources claim that this was the first synagogue to serve the Jews of Volgograd, was constructed in 1888, and its original purpose was exclusively that of a synagogue, there is little evidence to support this. What little documentation exists suggests that it was indeed built at the turn of the century, but its original purpose is unknown.<ref name="CJA">{{cite journal |last1=Levin |first1=Vladimir |last2=Berezin |first2=Anna |editor1-last=Cohen-Mushlin |editor1-first=Aliza |editor2-last=Oleshkevich |editor2-first=Ekaterina |title=Jewish Material Culture along the Volga Preliminary Expedition Report |journal=Center for Jewish Art at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem |date=2021 |url=https://cja.huji.ac.il/home/pics/projects/CJA_Report_on_the_Volga_expedition_2021.pdf |access-date=24 April 2022}}</ref> In fact, a 1903 tourist guide to Tsaritsyn warns that almost all of the buildings in the town are wooden and makes no mention of this structure, so an 1888 construction date is highly unlikely.<ref name=Dixon/> It is a two-story, rectangular building, made of brick and richly decorated. The architectural style is typical of residential buildings constructed in Tsaritsyn after the turn of the century.<ref name="IOP">{{cite journal |last1=Serebryanaya |first1=V |last2=Kolyshev |first2=Yu |title=Regional tradition in the architectural culture of Nizhneye Povolzhye (by the example of the Volgograd region) |journal=IOP Conf. Ser.: Mater. Sci. Eng. |date=2020 |volume=962 |issue=3 |page=032043 |doi=10.1088/1757-899X/962/3/032043 |bibcode=2020MS&E..962c2043S |s2cid=229477037 |doi-access=free }}</ref> The original building barely survived the Battle of Stalingrad; it was in ruins as late as 1997, with broken windows and gaping holes made by Nazi bombs. Some sources suggest that the building was reconstructed, but not restored, by 1999.<ref name=CJA/> Emissaries of the [[Chabad|Chabad-Lubavitch organization]] launched a campaign to return the building to the Jewish community and were finally successful in 2003. With the help of multiple fundraising campaigns and generous donors, including Edward Shifrin and Alex Schneider, the synagogue was restored. An annex was constructed in 2005 to mimic the original style and the building was rededicated in 2007.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dedication of New Synagogue in "Stalin's City" |url=https://www.chabad.org/news/photo_cdo/aid/604272/jewish/Dedication-of-New-Synagogue-in-Stalins-City.htm |website=www.chabad.org |access-date=24 April 2022 |date=30 Nov 2007}}</ref> The prayer hall can be found on the first floor, with communal offices on the second.<ref name=CJA/> Located at 2 Balachninskaya Street in the center of Volgograd. In addition to regular religious services, it also hosts a soup kitchen, a Jewish day school and an overnight children's camp. As of 2022, the community was led by Rabbi Zalman Yoffe.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jewish Community of Volgograd |url=https://www.chabad.org/jewish-centers/118456/Volgograd/Synagogue/Jewish-Community-of-Volgograd |website=www.chabad.org |access-date=24 April 2022}}</ref>

==Education==
Higher education facilities include:
*[[Volgograd State University]]
*[[Volgograd State Technical University]] (former Volgograd Polytechnical University)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-08-21 |title=Volgograd State Technical University – Main page |url=http://www.vstu.ru/eng/index.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903092752/http://www.vstu.ru/eng/index.shtml |archive-date=September 3, 2011 |access-date=2011-09-15 |publisher=Vstu.ru |df=mdy-all}}</ref>
*[[Volgograd State Agriculture University]]
*[[The Volgograd State Medical University|Volgograd State Medical University]]<ref>{{Cite web|last=Россия|title=Volgograd State Medical University (VolSMU)|url=https://www.volgmed.ru/en/|access-date=2011-09-15|publisher=Volgmed.ru}}</ref>
*[[Volgograd State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering]]
*[[Volgograd Academy of Industry]]
*[[Volgograd Academy of Business Administration]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-06-27 |url=http://www.vags.ru/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070627081652/http://www.vags.ru/ |archive-date=June 27, 2007 |access-date=2011-09-15|title=Волгоградская Академия Государственной Службы - Новости }}</ref>
*[[Volgograd State Pedagogical University]]

==Sports==
[[File:Volgograd arena aerial view 1.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of the [[Volgograd Arena]] in 2018]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Club !! Sport !! Founded !! Current League !! League<br/>Tier !! Stadium
|-
|[[FC Rotor Volgograd|Rotor Volgograd]]
|[[Association football|Football]]
|1929
|[[Russian Professional Football League]]
|1st
|[[Volgograd Arena]]
|-
|[[FC Olimpia Volgograd|Olimpia Volgograd]]
|[[Association football|Football]]
|1989
|[[Volgograd Oblast Football Championship]]
|5th
|Olimpia Stadium
|-
|Kaustik Volgograd
|[[Team Handball|Handball]]
|1929
|[[Russian Handball Super League|Handball Super League]]
|1st
|Dynamo Sports Complex
|-
|[[Dinamo Volgograd|Dynamo Volgograd]]
|[[Team Handball|Handball]]
|1929
|[[Russian Women's Handball Super League|Women's Handball Super League]]
|1st
|Dynamo Sports Complex
|-
|[[BC Krasny Oktyabr|Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd]]
|[[Basketball]]
|2012
|[[VTB United League]]
|2nd
|[[Volgograd Sports Palace of Trade Unions|Trade Unions Sports Palace]]
|-
|[[Water Polo Club Spartak Volgograd|Spartak Volgograd]]
|[[Water Polo]]
|1994
|[[Russian Water Polo Championship]]
|1st
|CVVS
|}

Volgograd was a host city to four matches of the [[2018 FIFA World Cup|FIFA World Cup]] in 2018. A new modern stadium, [[Volgograd Arena]], was built for this occasion on the bank of the Volga River to serve as the venue. The stadium has a seating capacity for 45,000 people, including a press box, a VIP box and seats for people with limited mobility.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-06-12 |title=Your Full Volgograd World Cup Guide |url=https://meetngreetme.com/blog/your-full-volgograd-guide/ |access-date=2024-07-04 |website=Travel Tips and Concierge Service Blog |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Notable people==
{{Main article|List of people from Volgograd}}
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*[[Nikolay Davydenko]], tennis player
*[[Sasha Filippov]], spy
*[[Oleg Grebnev]], handball player
*[[Yekaterina Grigoryeva]], sprinter
*[[Larisa Ilchenko]], long-distance swimmer
*[[Yelena Isinbayeva]], pole vaulter
*[[Lev Ivanov (football manager)|Lev Ivanov]], association football manager
*[[Yuriy Kalitvintsev]], association football manager
*[[Elem Klimov]], film director
*[[Egor Koulechov]] professional basketball player
*[[Alexey Kravtsov]], jurist
*[[Vladimir Kryuchkov]], statesman
*[[Tatyana Lebedeva]], jumper
*[[Maxim Marinin]], figure skater
*[[Maksim Opalev]], sprint canoeist
*[[Aleksandra Pakhmutova]], composer
*[[Denis Pankratov]], Olympic swimmer
*[[Evgeni Plushenko]], Olympic figure skater
*[[Yevgeny Sadovyi]], Olympic swimmer
*[[Natalia Shipilova]], handball player
*[[Yelena Slesarenko]], high jumper
*[[Leonid Viktorovich Slutsky|Leonid Slutsky]], football coach
*[[Yuliya Sotnikova]], 400m athlete
*[[Yulia (singer)|Yulia MacLean Townsend]], classical opera singer
*[[Igor Vasilev]], handball player
*[[Oleg Veretennikov]], association football player
*[[Natalia Vikhlyantseva]], tennis player
*[[Vasily Zaitsev (sniper)|Vasily Zaytsev]], Soviet sniper and a Hero of the Soviet Union
{{div col end}}

==Twin towns and sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Russia}}
{{update|date=April 2022}}

Volgograd is/was [[twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Города-побратимы |url=http://www.volgadmin.ru/d/about/TwinCities |access-date=2020-02-01 |website=volgadmin.ru |publisher=Volgograd |language=ru}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*{{flagicon|UK}} [[Coventry]], United Kingdom (1944-2022<ref>{{cite news |last1=Murray |first1=Jessica |title=Coventry no longer twinned with Volgograd in protest over Ukraine war |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/mar/23/coventry-no-longer-twinned-with-volgograd-protest-ukraine-war |access-date=18 April 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=23 Mar 2022}}</ref>)
*{{flagicon|CZE}} [[Ostrava]], Czech Republic (1949–2022<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ostrava.cz/cs/o-meste/aktualne/ostrava-vypovi-partnerske-smlouvy-s-doneckem-a-volgogradem |title=OSTRAVA WILL TERMINATE THE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS WITH DONETSK AND VOLGOGRAD |author=<!--Not stated-->|date=23 Mar 2022 |website=www.ostrava.cz }}</ref>)
*{{flagicon|FIN}} [[Kemi]], Finland (1953)
*{{flagicon|BEL}} [[Liège]], Belgium (1959-2022<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bechet |first1=Marc |title=Liège suspends its twinning with Volgograd |url=https://www.dhnet.be/regions/liege/liege-suspend-son-jumelage-avec-volgograd-622648e57b50a639dcc62e27 |website=www.dhnet.be (DH Les Sports+) |access-date=18 April 2022 |language=French}}</ref>)
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Dijon]], France (1959)
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Turin]], Italy (1961, renewed 2011,<ref>{{cite web |title=International Relations; Agreement with Volgograd |url=http://www.comune.torino.it/relint/accordi/volgograd.shtml |website=Citta' di Torino (City of Turin) |access-date=18 April 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Twin Cities of Volgograd |url=http://www.volgadmin.ru/d/about/TwinCities |website=Official Website of Volgograd |access-date=18 April 2022}}</ref> renewed 2020<ref>{{cite web |title=International Relations; Volgograd Russian Federation - Agreement (2020) |url=http://www.comune.torino.it/relint/gemellaggieaccordi/volgograd-federazione-russa---accordo-2020.shtml |website=Citta' di Torino (City of Turin) |access-date=18 April 2022}}</ref>)
*{{flagicon|EGY}} [[Port Said]], Egypt (1962)
*{{flagicon|IND}} [[Chennai]], India (1967)
*{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Hiroshima]], Japan (1972)
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Cologne]], Germany (1988)
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Chemnitz]], Germany (1988)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]] United States (1990–2022)
*{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Jilin City]], China (1994)
*{{flagicon|SRB}} [[Kruševac]], Serbia (1999)
*{{flagicon|BUL}} [[Ruse Municipality|Ruse]], Bulgaria (2001)
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Płońsk]], Poland (2008-2022<ref>{{cite news |title=Płońsk suspends cooperation with the Russian Volgograd |url=https://warszawa.tvp.pl/58799700/plonsk-wstrzymuje-wspolprace-z-rosyjskim-wolgogradem |access-date=18 April 2022 |date=1 Mar 2022}}</ref>)
*{{flagicon|TUR}} [[İzmir]], Turkey (2011)
*{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Chengdu]], China (2011)
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Olevano Romano]], Italy (2014)
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Ortona]], Italy (2014)
*{{flagicon|ARM}} [[Yerevan]], Armenia (2015)
*{{flagicon|IRN}} [[Ardabil]], Iran (2015)<ref>{{Cite news |title=Iran's Ardabil, Russia's Volgograd to be sisters |url=https://en.mehrnews.com/news/107424/Iran-s-Ardabil-Russia-s-Volgograd-to-be-sisters |date=23 May 2015 |access-date=7 April 2024 |work=Mehr, Economy |publisher=Mehr news agency |agency=Mehr |quote=News Code 107424}}</ref>
{{div col end}}

*Several communities in France and Italy have streets or avenues named after Stalingrad, hence ''[[Place de Stalingrad]]'' in Paris and the eponymous [[Paris Métro]] station of [[Stalingrad (Paris Metro)|Stalingrad]].

==Climate==
Volgograd has a [[humid continental climate|hot-summer humid continental climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Dfa'') with hot summers and cold winters, which borders with [[cold semi-arid climate]] (Köppen climate classification ''BSk''). Precipitation is low and spread more or less evenly throughout the year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Volgograd, Russia Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase) |url=https://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=592102&cityname=Volgograd,+Volgograd,+Russia&units= |access-date=2018-11-13 |website=Weatherbase}}</ref>

{{Weather box
|location = Volgograd (1991–2020, extremes 1836–present)
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan record high C = 12.3
|Feb record high C = 15.9
|Mar record high C = 23.1
|Apr record high C = 29.9
|May record high C = 37.2
|Jun record high C = 39.4
|Jul record high C = 41.8
|Aug record high C = 42.6
|Sep record high C = 37.8
|Oct record high C = 31.0
|Nov record high C = 21.0
|Dec record high C = 12.6
|year record high C = 42.6
|Jan high C = -3.0
|Feb high C = -1.9
|Mar high C = 5.1
|Apr high C = 15.8
|May high C = 23.0
|Jun high C = 28.1
|Jul high C = 30.7
|Aug high C = 29.8
|Sep high C = 22.5
|Oct high C = 13.8
|Nov high C = 4.3
|Dec high C = -1.3
|year high C = 
|Jan mean C = -5.7
|Feb mean C = -5.3
|Mar mean C = 0.9
|Apr mean C = 10.3
|May mean C = 17.3
|Jun mean C = 22.4
|Jul mean C = 24.8
|Aug mean C = 23.8
|Sep mean C = 16.8
|Oct mean C = 9.3
|Nov mean C = 1.1
|Dec mean C = -4.0
|year mean C = 
|Jan low C = -8.1
|Feb low C = -8.0
|Mar low C = -2.3
|Apr low C = 5.8
|May low C = 12.3
|Jun low C = 17.2
|Jul low C = 19.5
|Aug low C = 18.4
|Sep low C = 12.1
|Oct low C = 5.6
|Nov low C = -1.3
|Dec low C = -6.3
|year low C = 
|Jan record low C = -33.0
|Feb record low C = -32.5
|Mar record low C = -25.8
|Apr record low C = -12.8
|May record low C = -1.1
|Jun record low C = 2.0
|Jul record low C = 7.2
|Aug record low C = 4.5
|Sep record low C = -2.2
|Oct record low C = -12.2
|Nov record low C = -25.8
|Dec record low C = -27.8
|year record low C = -33.0
| precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 39
|Feb precipitation mm = 32
|Mar precipitation mm = 34
|Apr precipitation mm = 26
|May precipitation mm = 41
|Jun precipitation mm = 34
|Jul precipitation mm = 29
|Aug precipitation mm = 19
|Sep precipitation mm = 33
|Oct precipitation mm = 33
|Nov precipitation mm = 27
|Dec precipitation mm = 43
|year precipitation mm = 
| Jan snow depth cm  = 11
| Feb snow depth cm  = 18
| Mar snow depth cm  = 10
| Apr snow depth cm  = 1
| May snow depth cm  = 0
| Jun snow depth cm  = 0
| Jul snow depth cm  = 0
| Aug snow depth cm  = 0
| Sep snow depth cm  = 0
| Oct snow depth cm  = 0
| Nov snow depth cm  = 1
| Dec snow depth cm  = 6
| year snow depth cm = 
| Jan snow days  =20
| Feb snow days  =17
| Mar snow days  =11
| Apr snow days  =2
| May snow days  =0.1
| Jun snow days  =0
| Jul snow days  =0
| Aug snow days  =0
| Sep snow days  =0.1
| Oct snow days  =1
| Nov snow days  =9
| Dec snow days  =18
| year snow days =

| Jan humidity    =89
| Feb humidity    =87
| Mar humidity    =81
| Apr humidity    =63
| May humidity    =56
| Jun humidity    =55
| Jul humidity    =50
| Aug humidity    =49
| Sep humidity    =60
| Oct humidity    =73
| Nov humidity    =86
| Dec humidity    =89
| year humidity   =
| Jan dew point C =-8
| Feb dew point C =-8
| Mar dew point C =-3
| Apr dew point C =2
| May dew point C =7
| Jun dew point C =11
| Jul dew point C =12
| Aug dew point C =10
| Sep dew point C =7
| Oct dew point C =3
| Nov dew point C =-2
| Dec dew point C =-6

|Jan sun = 66.1
|Feb sun = 96.9
|Mar sun = 138.4
|Apr sun = 204.2
|May sun = 290.8
|Jun sun = 308.4
|Jul sun = 329.3
|Aug sun = 300.2
|Sep sun = 228.9
|Oct sun = 155.8
|Nov sun = 63.6
|Dec sun = 42.5
|year sun = 2225.1
| Jan light = 8.8
| Feb light = 10.2
| Mar light = 11.9
| Apr light = 13.7
| May light = 15.3
| Jun light = 16.1
| Jul light = 15.7
| Aug light = 14.3
| Sep light = 12.6
| Oct light = 10.8
| Nov light = 9.2
| Dec light = 8.4
| year light= 
| Jan uv  =1
| Feb uv  =1
| Mar uv  =3
| Apr uv  =4
| May uv  =6
| Jun uv  =7
| Jul uv  =7
| Aug uv  =6
| Sep uv  =4
| Oct uv  =2
| Nov uv  =1
| Dec uv  =1
| year uv =
|source 1 = Pogoda.ru.net<ref name="pogoda">{{Cite web |title=Pogoda.ru.net |url=http://www.pogodaiklimat.ru/climate/34561.htm |access-date=8 November 2021 |language=ru}}</ref>
|source 2 = Weatherbase (snow-sun)<ref name="weatherbase">{{Cite web |title=Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Volgograd, Russia |url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weatherall.php3?s=6543&refer=&cityname=Volgograd--West-Southern-Federal-District-Russia&units= |access-date=November 17, 2012 |publisher=Weatherbase}}</ref> Time and date (humidity and Dew point 1985-2015)<ref>{{cite web |title=Climate & Weather Averages in Volgograd, Russia |url=https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/russia/volgograd/climate |website=Time and Date |access-date=2 February 2024}}</ref> Weather atlas (Daylight-UV)<ref>{{cite web |title=The climate of Volgograd |url=https://www.weather-atlas.com/en/russia/volgograd-climate |website=weather atlas |access-date=2 February 2024}}</ref>
|date=July 2012

}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Sources==
*{{RussiaBasicLawRef|vgg|volgograd}}
*{{RussiaAdmMunRef|vgg|adm|law}}
*{{RussiaAdmMunRef|vgg|mun|list|volgograd}}
*{{Cite Russian law
|ru_entity=Волгоградская городская Дума
|ru_type=Решение
|ru_number=72/2149
|ru_date=30 января 2013 г.
|ru_title=Об использовании наименования "город-герой Сталинград"
|ru_effective_date=со дня принятия
|ru_published_in="Городские вести. Царицын – Сталинград – Волгоград", #10
|ru_published_date=2 февраля 2013 г
|ru_url=
|ru_amendment_type=Решения
|ru_amendment_number=9/200
|ru_amendment_date=23 декабря 2013 г.
|ru_amendment_title=О внесении изменений в пункт&nbsp;1 Порядка использования наименования "город-герой Сталинград", определённого Решением Волгоградской городской Думы от 30.01.2013 No.72/2149 "Об использовании наименования "город-герой Сталинград"
|en_entity=Volgograd City Duma
|en_type=Decision
|en_number=72/2149
|en_date=January&nbsp;30, 2013
|en_title=On Using the Name of the "Hero City Stalingrad"
|en_effective_date=the day of adoption
|en_url=
|en_amendment_type=Decision
|en_amendment_number=9/200
|en_amendment_date=December&nbsp;23, 2013
|en_amendment_title=On Amending Item&nbsp;1 of the Procedures for Usage of the Name "Hero City Stalingrad", Adopted by the January&nbsp;30, 2013 Decision #72/2149 of Volgograd City Duma "On Using the Name of the "Hero City Stalingrad"
}}

==Bibliography==
{{See also|Timeline of Volgograd#Bibliography}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}}
*{{Wikivoyage inline}}
*{{in lang|ru}} [http://www.volgadmin.ru/ Official website of Volgograd]


{{Volgograd Oblast}}
{{Hero Cities}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2012}}

[[Category:Volgograd| ]]
[[Category:1589 establishments in Russia]]
[[Category:De-Stalinization]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1589]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Volga]]
[[Category:Tsaritsynsky Uyezd]]
[[Category:World War II sites in Russia]]