Volgograd

Volgograd was founded in 1589, originally under the name “Tsaritsyn,” on land that had been occupied first by the Golden Horde some two centuries before. Like most cities along the Volga, it was founded as a military fortress to the secure the valuable Volga trade route, which connected Europe and the Middle East.

Also like most cities along the Volga, Volgograd has a rich history of commercialism, multiculturalism, and education. The Don Cossacks claim the city as part of their homeland, and the city also welcomed many of the Volga Germans, immigrants invited by Catherine the Great to help tame and cultivate the rich land.

Unfortunately, however, much of the architectural heritage of the city was wiped out during the WWII, when the city, then known as Stalingrad, played host to WWII’s bloodiest and most horrific battle. The hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians who died did not perish however; as the Red Army began an advance after winning this months-long battle that would take it all the way to Berlin three years later. Many historians consider Stalingrad to be WWII’s turning point.

The city was named a hero-city and rebuilt nearly from scratch according to a very Soviet plan: factories lining the river and neighborhoods surrounding the factories. The result was a large, incredibly long town (80 km!) winding around the Volga. In 1961, it was renamed again, this time to “Volgograd,” after the river that has long dominated its culture and economy.

The city can be considered as two pieces: the historical center and the production center stemming from it like a comet’s tail. The historical center, particularly today, envisages what Communism tried to build: massive institutions and monuments, a green riverfront, Lenin literally in lights. The production center shows what Communism, for the most part, did build: cheap apartment buildings, tiny stores, crumbling playgrounds. For history buffs of the Soviet era, Volgograd is a gold mine.

For those interested in U.S.-Russian relations today, Volgograd is treasure trove. It’s relatively young and independent university hosts institutions to support exchange programs between the two countries and a quite well-funded institution for studying and publishing on all aspects of our relations. In 2004, the facility hosted four Fulbright Scholars from America. Yet the town is small enough to make demands on one’s Russian language skills. Today, Volgograd is one of the best choices for education in Russia.