Message: Motherland is calling. “The Motherland Calls” in Volgograd: eternal memory and glory

Sculpture “The Motherland Calls!” — composition center monument-ensemble “To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad” on Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd. One of the tallest statues in the world.

Mamayev Kurgan in the winter of 1945. In the foreground is a broken German RaK 40 cannon.

End point path - the monument “The Motherland Calls!”, the compositional center of the ensemble, highest point mound. Its dimensions are enormous - the height of the figure is 52 meters, and the total height of the Motherland is 85 meters (including the sword). For comparison, the height famous statue Freedom without a pedestal is only 45 meters. At the time of construction, the Motherland was the tallest statue in the country and in the world. Later, the Kiev Motherland with a height of 102 meters appeared. Today, the tallest statue in the world is the 120-meter Buddha statue, built in 1995 and located in Japan, in the city of Chuchura. Total weight Motherland - 8 thousand tons. In her right hand she holds a steel sword, which is 33 meters long and weighs 14 tons. Compared to the height of a person, the sculpture is increased 30 times. The thickness of the reinforced concrete walls of the Motherland is only 25-30 centimeters. It was cast layer by layer using special formwork made from plaster materials. Inside, the rigidity of the frame is supported by a system of more than a hundred cables. The monument is not attached to the foundation and is held by gravity. Motherland stands on a slab only 2 meters high, which rests on the main foundation 16 meters high, but it is almost invisible - most of it is hidden underground. To enhance the effect of the monument being located at the very peak point of the mound, an artificial embankment 14 meters high was made.

Stalingrad, Mamayev Kurgan. In the foreground is the Renault UE Chenillette, a light French armored personnel carrier that was in service with the Wehrmacht.

As soon as the cannonade died down in Stalingrad, the grateful country began to think about what the monument to the creators of this war should look like. great victory. Drawings and sketches were sent not only by professionals, but also by people of completely different professions. Some sent them to the Academy of Arts, others to the State Defense Committee, some personally to Comrade Stalin. Moreover, everyone saw the future monument as grandiose, of unprecedented size, to match the significance of the victory itself.

The All-Union competition was announced immediately after the war. All prominent Soviet architects and architects took part. The results were summed up ten years later. Although few doubted that the laureate would win Stalin Prize Evgeniy Vuchetich. By that time, he had already created a memorial in Berlin's Treptower Park and enjoyed the trust of the top officials of the state. On January 23, 1958, the Council of Ministers of the USSR decided to begin construction of the monument-ensemble on Mamayev Kurgan. In May 1959, construction began to boil.

He also removed the pompous pedestal of the Motherland, which practically repeated the one on which his victorious Soldier stands in Treptower Park. Instead of monumental stairs (which, by the way, were already built), a serpentine path appeared near the Motherland. The Motherland itself has “grown” relative to its original size - its height has reached 36 meters. But this option was not final either. Soon after finishing work on the foundation of the main monument, Vuchetich (on Khrushchev’s instructions) increases the size of the Motherland to 52 meters. Because of this, the builders had to urgently “load” the foundation, for which 150 thousand tons of earth were placed in the embankment.

In the Timiryazevsky district of Moscow, at Vuchetich’s dacha, where his workshop was located and today the architect’s house-museum, you can see working sketches: a reduced model of the Motherland, as well as a life-size model of the statue’s head.

In a sharp, swift impulse, a woman stood up on the mound. With a sword in her hands, she calls on her sons to defend the Fatherland. Her right leg is slightly laid back, her torso and head are vigorously turned to the left. The face is stern and strong-willed. Knitted eyebrows, wide open, screaming mouth, blown by gusts of wind short hair, Strong arms, a long dress that fits the shape of the body, the ends of a scarf blown by gusts of wind - all this creates a feeling of strength, expression and an irresistible desire to move forward. Against the background of the sky, she is like a bird soaring in the sky.

The sculpture of the Motherland looks great from all sides at any time of the year: in summer time, when the mound is covered with a continuous grass carpet, and winter evening- light, illuminated by spotlights. The majestic statue, protruding against the background of the dark blue sky, seems to grow out of the mound, merging with its snowy cover.

The work of sculptor E. V. Vuchetich and engineer N. V. Nikitin represents a multi-meter figure of a woman stepping forward with a raised sword. The statue is an allegorical image of the Motherland, calling its sons to fight the enemy. In an artistic sense, the statue is a modern interpretation of the image of the ancient goddess of victory Nike, who calls on her sons and daughters to repel the enemy and continue the offensive.

Construction of the monument began in May 1959 and was completed on October 15, 1967. The sculpture at the time of its creation was the tallest sculpture in the world. Restoration work on the Main monument of the monument-ensemble was carried out twice: in 1972 and 1986, in particular in 1972 the sword was replaced.

The prototype of the sculpture was Valentina Izotova (according to other sources, Anastasia Antonovna Peshkova, a graduate of the Barnaul Pedagogical School in 1953).

68-year-old Valentina Izotova was the model for the creation of the famous Russian Motherland memorial. For almost 40 years she did not talk about the fact that she participated in its creation.

Could I refuse when the sculptors asked me to sit for a statue in memory of the enormous losses suffered by the Red Army at Stalingrad? But I was horrified when they said I had to pose nude.

It was the early 1960s, and decent women didn't take their clothes off in front of anyone but their husbands. Artists, even such respected and famous ones as Lev Maistrenko, who worked on the memorial, meant nothing to the 26-year-old woman.

It was Lev who approached me. I worked as a waitress in the main restaurant of the city, Volgograd - it is still there - and usually served the room reserved for high-ranking party functionaries and delegations. Leo said that I was beautiful and that I embodied everything physical and moral qualities ideal Soviet woman. Of course, I was flattered, how could it be otherwise?

Curiosity got the better of me and I agreed to pose. None of us had any idea how famous “Motherland” would become. Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad) is as famous for this sculpture as for the battle that took place here.

My husband did not like the fact that I would pose for a group of artists sent from Moscow. He was terribly jealous and took me to every session to the studio they set up in an old gas apparatus factory.

After a while it became a job like any other, I hardly thought about the fact that I was standing in a swimsuit, and I was glad that I was paid three rubles a day, since at that time it was a decent amount. But only six months later I finally gave in to the sculptors’ persuasion to take off my bra and expose my breasts. But that was all. I was unshakable in my determination to maintain the remnants of modesty and not pose completely naked. It was unthinkable.

No one except relatives and closest friends knew about this. Soon after the sessions ended, I went to receive my first higher education: I have two diplomas - an economist and an engineer. Then I left Volgograd and began to live and work in Norilsk.

After the opening of the memorial in 1967, I thought little about it and moved on with my life.

The sculpture is made from prestressed concrete blocks - 5,500 tons of concrete and 2,400 tons of metal structures (excluding the base on which it stands).

The total height of the monument is 85-87 meters. It is installed on a concrete foundation 16 meters deep. Height female figure- 52 meters (weight - over 8 thousand tons).

The statue stands on a slab only 2 meters high, which rests on the main foundation. This foundation is 16 meters high, but it is almost invisible - most of it is hidden underground. The statue stands freely on the slab, like a chess piece on a board.

The thickness of the reinforced concrete walls of the sculpture is only 25-30 centimeters. Inside, the entire statue consists of individual chamber cells, like rooms in a building. The rigidity of the frame is maintained by ninety-nine metal cables that are constantly under tension.

The sword, 33 meters long and weighing 14 tons, was originally made of stainless steel covered with titanium sheets. The huge mass and high windage of the sword, due to its colossal size, caused the sword to sway strongly when exposed to wind loads, which led to excessive mechanical stress at the point where the hand holding the sword was attached to the body of the sculpture. Deformations in the sword's structure also caused the titanium plating sheets to move, creating an unpleasant sound of rattling metal. Therefore, in 1972, the blade was replaced with another one - consisting entirely of fluorinated steel - and holes were provided in the upper part of the sword, which made it possible to reduce its windage. The reinforced concrete structure of the sculpture was strengthened in 1986 on the recommendation of the NIIZHB expert group led by R. L. Serykh.

There are very few similar sculptures in the world, for example, the statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, the “Motherland” in Kyiv, the monument to Peter I in Moscow. For comparison, the height of the Statue of Liberty from its pedestal is 46 meters.

The most complex calculations of the stability of this structure were carried out by Dr. technical sciences N.V. Nikitin is the author of calculating the stability of the Ostankino TV tower. At night, the statue is illuminated by spotlights.

“The horizontal displacement of the upper part of the 85-meter monument is currently 211 millimeters or 75% of what was allowed by calculations. Deviations have been going on since 1966. If from 1966 to 1970 the deviation was 102 millimeters, then from 1970 to 1986 - 60 millimeters, until 1999 - 33 millimeters, from 2000-2008 - 16 millimeters,” said the director of the State Historical and Memorial Museum-Reserve. Battle of Stalingrad" Alexander Velichkin.

Interesting Facts

The sculpture “Motherland” is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest sculpture-statue in the world at that time. Its height is 52 meters, arm length is 20 meters and sword length is 33 meters. The total height of the sculpture is 85 meters. The weight of the sculpture is 8 thousand tons, and the sword - 14 tons (for comparison: the Statue of Liberty in New York is 46 meters high; the Statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro is 38 meters). On this moment The statue ranks 11th on the list of tallest statues in the world.

Vuchetich told Andrei Sakharov: “The bosses ask me why her mouth is open, because it’s ugly. I answer: And she screams - for the Motherland... your mother! - shut up."
There is a legend according to which, shortly after its creation, a man got lost in the sculpture; after that no one saw him. But it's just a legend
The silhouette of the sculpture “Motherland” was taken as a basis when developing the coat of arms and flag of the Volgograd region

During construction, Vuchetich made changes to the project more than once. Little known fact: At first, the main monument of the ensemble was supposed to look completely different. At the top of the mound, the author wanted to place a sculpture of the “Motherland” with a red banner and a kneeling soldier. According to the original plan, two monumental staircases led to it. They managed to be built when Vuchetich went to Khrushchev, the then leader of the country, and convinced him that it would be better if people began to climb a serpentine path to the top.

But these are not all the changes that the master made to the finished project. Valentina Klyushina, who was the deputy director of the memorial for many years, told me about how all this happened. During the years of the complex’s creation, she worked in the Volgograd City Executive Committee and supervised the construction.

- “Motherland” Vuchetich decided to leave alone. He also removed the pompous pedestal, almost identical to the one on which his Victorious Soldier stands in Treptower Park. The main figure became taller - 36 meters. But this option did not last long. The builders barely had time to make the foundation when the author increased the size of the sculpture. Up to 52 meters! In the competition between superpowers, it was necessary for the main monument of the USSR to be higher than the American Statue of Liberty. It was necessary to urgently “load” the foundation so that it could support the 85-meter (including the sword) sculpture, weighing 8 thousand tons. 150 thousand tons of earth were then placed in the embankment. And since the deadlines were pressing, a military battalion was assigned to help the brigades.

There is also a problem with the current Hall military glory. It was planned to install a panorama canvas there. As soon as the “box” of the building was built, Vuchetich decided that the panorama should be placed separately. Which is what they did then. And in the finished structure along the perimeter of the walls there are mosaic banners with the names of the fallen defenders of the city. The author also quickly passed this question through the CPSU Central Committee.

There was also an embarrassment with these same banners. Here's what Klyushina said:

Masters from Leningrad worked with mosaics. And the art glass was supplied from the Ukrainian city of Lisichansk. Mosaicists laid out the interior as material became available. When everything was ready and the scaffolding was removed, everyone gasped. The tones on the wall were so different that it resembled a chessboard. The deadline for the project was approaching. And Vuchetich had no choice but to call “up.” This time to Brezhnev. He immediately dialed the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine, Shelesta, and explained the task to him. In short, a few days later the cars were delivered to Volgograd with new glass.

But these are not all the difficulties faced by the creators of the complex. In one of spring days Also in 1967, a critical situation arose with the 33-meter sword.

…As usual, Chief Engineer Volgogradgidrostroy Yuri Abramov went to work at the headquarters in the morning. On the way, he came across a flock of boys arguing... why is the sword in the hand of the “Motherland” swinging so much? Abramov raised his head and was horrified. They immediately carried out an operational investigation, and the very next day a special commission arrived from Moscow. It soon became clear that the designers did not take into account the data from many years of observations of the wind rose. So it turned out that the sword turned out flat in relation to the wind. We urgently had to make several holes in it so that it could ventilate freely. In addition, the commission generally recommended replacing the heavy titanium sword with a lighter steel one.

At the very end of the construction, 50 powerful spotlights were needed to illuminate the sculpture. They couldn't get them anywhere. The country at that time was preparing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution - and everything that was produced went to Moscow and Leningrad according to orders. Klyushina was sent to the capital to see the Chairman of the Moscow City Executive Committee, Promyslov. He said that Moscow was unable to help. And he advised me to go to the manufacturing plant. And Klyushina rushed to the city of Gusev, in the Kaliningrad region. The director of Elektromash also just threw up his hands at the request. Then he thought and invited Valentina to speak on the factory radio in front of the workers and ask them to work beyond the norm. Two additional shifts were organized and the Saira searchlights went to Volgograd. On October 15, 1967, the monument-ensemble was inaugurated.

Someone carelessly said that “Motherland” was so tilted that it might soon fall. This is nonsense. “Any structure of this type,” says the director of the memorial, retired general Vladimir Berlov, “can tilt. This is even provided for by the designers. Let's say the design of our monument is designed for a deviation of 272 millimeters. The figure, Berlov continues, is constantly examined for the formation of cracks and roughness, and its position is analyzed. And the analysis of concrete chips, carried out in a German laboratory, showed the excellent condition of the structure and the presence required stock strength. It is supported from the inside by 99 tension ropes. Believe me, says the director, this system will never allow the monument to tilt to a critical level.”

Whoever comes to us with a sword will die by the sword!

Sculpture “The Motherland Calls”

The monument “The Motherland Calls” is the compositional center of the ensemble “Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad”; it is made in the form of a statue of a woman-mother who steps forward with a raised sword, calling on her sons to fight the enemy. The impression of the sculpture is enhanced by the hair tousled in the wind, the sharp contours of the figure, the bright emotionality of the face and the strong hands of the woman. Wide-open eyes and mouth create an atmosphere of anxiety and tension. The fact that the monument does not stand on high pedestal, and only two meters above the ground, gives it even more realism.

At the foot of the monument “The Motherland Calls” there is the top of Mamayev Kurgan - Sorrow Square. From here, from the very center of Volgograd, a breathtaking view of the entire memorial complex, city quarters, the wide Volga valley and the Trans-Volga region opens.

The author's idea of the monument

The initiator of the creation of the majestic monument was the famous Soviet sculptor-monumentalist Evgeniy Viktorovich Vutechich. He took part in the Great Patriotic War, was shell-shocked in battle and fully understood the severity of the trials the people endured.

E. V. Vutechich is considered one of the founders of the monumental style, which later received the name “Stalinist classicism.” The works he created are distinguished by gigantism, the use of modernist traditions and the pathos of the plots.

Before creating the “Motherland Calls” memorial in Volgograd, Vutečić led a large-scale art project in Berlin’s Treptower Park. In collaboration with architects and engineers, he created a monument ensemble dedicated to the soldiers of the Red Army, the center of which was the expressive bronze figure of the Liberator Warrior.

The sculptor began work on the banks of the Volga with extensive experience in artistic and technical solutions. In the open spaces of Mamayev Kurgan, he proposed creating a group of several large-scale sculptures that would be clearly visible from different sides. The figure of the Motherland, according to the author, was supposed to symbolize the call of the Fatherland to its citizens - to protect native land from enemies.

There are several versions of who exactly Vutečić chose as the prototype for his sculpture of the Motherland. Someone claims that his wife Vera posed for Vutechich. Others say that the face on the monument bears a portrait resemblance to the famous discus thrower in the USSR and multiple record holder Nina Yakovlevna Dumbadze. Volgograd residents themselves are convinced that the sculptor’s heroine was the waitress of the Volgograd restaurant, Valentina Izotova.

The constructed monument “The Motherland Calls” was recognized as an outstanding example of monumental art and made the name of the sculptor widely known not only in the country, but also abroad. In 1970, the team of authors who worked on the monument was awarded the Lenin Prize.

History of the construction of the monument “The Motherland Calls”

The construction of the memorial ensemble on Mamayev Kurgan began in 1959, when Volgograd itself had not yet been completely restored from ruins. In those years, during excavation work, unexploded shells and mines were found, and therefore sappers were on constant duty near the working excavator.

In addition to E. V. Vutechich, several other sculptors worked on the monument “The Motherland Calls”. The team of architects was headed by Yakov Borisovich Belopolsky, and the engineering issues for the construction of the memorial were handled by a well-known construction specialist in the country, architect Nikolai Vasilyevich Nikitin. He was entrusted with the task of developing the design of the foundation and supporting frames of the huge monument.

In addition to construction work, the war memorial project included the “sounding” of all sculptural compositions, including the “Motherland Calls” monument. This work was entrusted to announcer Yuri Borisovich Levitan, sound engineer Alexander Ivanovich Geraskin and director Viktor Kadievich Magataev. The role of consultant on military issues was performed by the Marshal Soviet Union Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov, whose troops during the Great Patriotic War managed to defend the city on the Volga.

Initially, the sculptors created a small half-meter version of the monument. It was made in a workshop located in the basement of the Volgograd Minsk store. Then work on the monument continued at the Gazoapparat plant. There, based on the manufactured model, a five-meter version of the monument was built.

In the original design, there were supposed to be two figures at the monument - a woman-mother and a kneeling soldier. It was also assumed that the woman would hold an unfurled banner in her hand. They planned to decorate the pedestal lavishly.

General form memorial during construction

However, the sculptor Vutečić later abandoned all these ideas. He did not build a staircase to the monument, but limited himself to a pedestrian path, which, like a ribbon, encircled the foot of the monument. In addition, during the production process it was decided to increase the size of the main sculpture of the war memorial from 32 to 56 meters, and then to 85 m.

During construction work, the organizers had to decide the most different problems. The layers of concrete had to be firmly bonded to each other. To do this, it was necessary to establish a continuous supply of concrete to the construction site. To ensure that concrete trucks were not delayed on their way, they were equipped with colored tapes. Drivers were given permission to drive through red traffic lights, and traffic police officers were instructed not to slow down such cars.

In May 1965, construction inspectors from Gosstroy made recommendations to significantly strengthen the reinforced concrete structure. The fears of engineers and technologists were caused by the condition of the soil on which the “Motherland Calls” monument was erected. This was a watered layer of Maikop clays, and they gradually “slipped” towards the Volga coast. To prevent a disaster from happening, the builders did additional concreting at the base of the monument.

Construction continued for several years, mainly during the warm season. In October 1967, all work was completed and the monument was inaugurated.

The sculpture “The Motherland Calls” is part of a triptych that also includes monuments in Magnitogorsk and Berlin. The Ural monument “Rear to Front” symbolizes the sword of Victory, which workers forged for the soldiers who liberated the country from invaders. The sculpture “The Motherland Calls” raises this sword to fight the enemy. And the "Liberator Warrior" in Berlin holds his sword down as the war is finally over.

Sculpture “The Motherland Calls!” Infographics

Elimination of design defects

The first problems with the “Motherland Calls” monument were revealed already at next year after it is opened. The “weak point” of the monument turned out to be the sword that the Motherland held in her hand. It was originally made from durable stainless steel sheets and lined with titanium. However, this decision turned out to be technically erroneous. Big sizes and the weight of the sword led to its excessive windage. There was excess tension where the sword was attached to the arm. From swinging, it was slightly deformed, and the titanium sheets made an unpleasant rattling sound in the wind.

Given these problems, in 1972 the old sword was replaced with one made entirely of steel. In addition, special holes were made in the top of the sword, which eliminated excessive windage. The sword was made from metal smelted at the Volgograd metallurgical plant "Red October".

In 1986, the entire “Motherland Calls” monument was examined by specialists. According to their recommendations, the reinforced concrete structure was further strengthened. In 2013, an architect from Moscow, Vladimir Tserkovnikov, addressed the Ministry of Culture and stated that the foundation famous sculpture was initially calculated incorrectly, and therefore the monument is in danger of collapse. It is not connected to the base in any way and is supported only by its own weight.

View of the monument from the residential area

Technical characteristics of the monument

The concrete sculpture “The Motherland Calls” stands on a two-meter pedestal. The entire structure is supported by a solid foundation, buried 16 meters into the ground. The earthen hill on which the entire memorial rises was formed artificially. To ensure that the foundation could withstand the enormous weight of the concrete structure, about 150 tons of earth were poured here.

The statue is hollow inside. The thickness of the walls made of reinforced concrete ranges from 25 to 30 cm. The concrete shell is supported by a metal frame weighing 2.4 thousand tons and 99 strong cables that prevent the frame from bending under the pressure of 5.5 thousand tons of concrete. The metal cables are under constant tension, and their tension is recorded by special sensors.

The height of the woman’s figure, excluding the sword, is 52 meters. The total weight of the monument exceeds 8 thousand tons. The steel sword is 33 m long and weighs 14 tons. The hand holding it is extended upward by 20 m. Thus, the height of the entire monument is 85 meters.

Since 1966, the “Motherland Calls” monument has slightly deviated from the main axis, but the indicators of these deviations do not exceed the calculated standards. For example, from 2000 to 2008, the horizontal displacement of the top of the monument was only 16 mm.

View of Volgograd from the top of the monument.

Interesting facts about the monument “The Motherland Calls”

At the time of completion of construction, the Volgograd monument was taller than all the statues in the world. Today it ranks 9th among the most tall monuments planets.
Compared to the average height of a person, the sculpture of the Motherland is increased 30 times.
The famous monument is depicted on the flag and coat of arms of the Volgograd region.
Many legends have developed around the monument. One of them talks about a worker who disappeared inside the monument. This happened while he was installing a steel structure. The missing person was never found.
Recently, 200 meters from the monument, a Orthodox church All Saints. It appeared exactly in the place where the monument itself was originally supposed to stand.

How to get there

You can get to the foot of Mamayev Kurgan, where the “Motherland Calls” monument is erected, by buses, trolleybuses and minibuses. City trains and Metrotram, Volgograd's high-speed tram, also make stops here. Entrance to the memorial site is free.

At the request of Alexander. This publication is about the history of sculpture creation "Motherland is calling"

Red Wall - On Mamayev Kurgan

Mamaev kurgan

Our people will forever preserve the memory of the greatest battle in the history of war at the walls of Stalingrad.

200 steps - the number of days and nights of the Battle of Stalingrad - separate the top of the mound from the foot. When you climb the first steps and a view of the Motherland opens up in front of you, it takes your breath away, your heart aches, tears well up in your eyes. You go through all the compositions of the monument with this feeling, reaching the culmination in the pantheon of Glory: the Eternal Flame silently burns, illuminating with its light more than seven thousand names of those who died for the main height of Russia. You emerge from the Eternal Flame clean: without thoughts, without sorrows, you rise to the top - and below lies a peaceful city.

And only then do you realize the whole brilliant plan put into the monument. Mamayev Kurgan is a connection with history, a tangible bridge between the past and the present. It is here that with all the impulses of your soul you can feel the moment of peace and happiness, for which so many decades ago blood was shed, fearless feats were performed, and the land was conquered inch by inch. In terms of the greatness of these feats, it is hardly possible to compare anything; their mastaba is fully conveyed by the monument itself and the inscription on the Square of Heroes:

- The iron wind hit them in the face, and they still walked forward, and a feeling of superstitious fear gripped the enemy: were people going to attack? are they mortal?

In the photo: Victory flag on top of Mamayev Kurgan

There is silence on Mamayev Kurgan,
There is silence behind Mamayev Kurgan,
The war is buried in that mound,
A wave quietly splashes onto a peaceful shore

The history of the creation of the monument-ensemble.

"... Years and decades will pass, new generations of people will replace us. But here, at the foot of the majestic Victory Monument, the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the Heroes will come, they will bring flowers and bring children here. Here, thinking about the past, dreaming about the future, people will remember those who died defending the eternal flame of life" - such prophetic words are carved at the foot of Mamayev Kurgan.

On the Mamayev Kurgan itself, the battle lasted 135 days and nights. Its peak was an important link in the city’s defense system, since from it not only Stalingrad itself, but also the Volga, crossings, and the Volga region were perfectly visible. The entire ground on the hill was literally plowed up with shells, mines, bombs - up to 1000 fragments and bullets for every square meter. In the spring of 1943, grass didn’t even grow there. That year, height 102.0 (the legendary designation of Mamayev Kurgan on military maps) became a real mound - on its slopes the dead from all over the city were buried.

At the beginning of 1943, Stalingrad lay in ruins and was practically dead - only one and a half thousand people remained in the city. But as soon as the front moved away from the city, residents began to return there; and by May the population exceeded one hundred thousand people.

The Motherland highly appreciated the historical feat of Stalingrad. The country wanted to see the Hero City revived, and not just a city for residents, but a monument city, in stone and bronze, with an edifying lesson in retribution to the enemy, a city of eternal memory for its fallen defenders. All-Union competition for best project monument Battle of Stalingrad was announced almost immediately after the end of the war. The charred, mutilated Mamayev Kurgan stood like this until 1959, when the construction of a grandiose monument-ensemble began according to the design of Evgeniy Vuchetich.

Construction lasted 8 years, the sculpture of the Motherland was erected for 4 years; and of all-Union significance Grand opening memorial took place on October 15, 1967. "This monument is a tribute to the heroic sons and daughters Soviet country. Here, on this earth, they turned the course of fate, forcing it to go from darkness to light, from enslavement to freedom, from death to life. Humanity remembers them as heroes from Stalingrad,” Leonid Brezhnev said at the opening. On the same day, the eternal flame was lit in the Hall of Military Glory, and a guard of honor was posted.

Sculpture "The Motherland Calls!" Volgograd

Sculpture “The Motherland Calls!” - the compositional center of the monument-ensemble “To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad” on Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd. One of the tallest statues in the world.

Above the Square of Sorrow rises a huge hill, which is crowned by the main monument - the Motherland. This is a mound about 14 meters high, in which the remains of 34,505 soldiers - the defenders of Stalingrad - are buried. A serpentine path leads to the top of the hill to the Motherland, along which there are 35 granite tombstones of Heroes of the Soviet Union, participants in the Battle of Stalingrad. From the foot of the mound to its top, the serpentine consists of exactly 200 granite steps 15 cm high and 35 cm wide - according to the number of days of the Battle of Stalingrad.

The end point of the path is the monument “The Motherland Calls!”, the compositional center of the ensemble, the highest point of the mound. Its dimensions are enormous - the height of the figure is 52 meters, and the total height of the Motherland is 85 meters (including the sword). For comparison, the height of the famous Statue of Liberty without its pedestal is only 45 meters. At the time of construction, the Motherland was the tallest statue in the country and in the world. Later, the Kiev Motherland with a height of 102 meters appeared. Today, the tallest statue in the world is the 120-meter Buddha statue, built in 1995 and located in Japan, in the city of Chuchura. The total weight of the Motherland is 8 thousand tons. In her right hand she holds a steel sword, which is 33 meters long and weighs 14 tons. Compared to the height of a person, the sculpture is increased 30 times. The thickness of the reinforced concrete walls of the Motherland is only 25-30 centimeters. It was cast layer by layer using special formwork made from plaster materials. Inside, the rigidity of the frame is supported by a system of more than a hundred cables. The monument is not attached to the foundation and is held by gravity. Motherland stands on a slab only 2 meters high, which rests on the main foundation 16 meters high, but it is almost invisible - most of it is hidden underground. To enhance the effect of the monument being located at the very peak point of the mound, an artificial embankment 14 meters high was made.

In his work, Vuchetich addressed the theme of the sword three times - the sword is raised by the Motherland on the Mamayev Kurgan, calling for the expulsion of the conquerors; cuts with a sword fascist swastika The victorious warrior in Berlin's Treptower Park; the worker forges the sword onto the plow in the composition “Let’s beat swords into ploughshares,” expressing the desire of people of good will to fight for disarmament in the name of the triumph of peace on the planet. This sculpture was donated by Vuchetech to the United Nations and was installed in front of the headquarters in New York, and a copy of it was given to the Volgograd gas equipment plant, in whose workshops the Motherland was born). This sword was born in Magnitogorsk (during the war, every third shell and every second tank was made of Magnitogorsk metal), where the monument to the Rear Front was erected.

During the construction of the Motherland Monument, many changes were made to the finished project. Few people know that initially on the top of the Mamaev Kurgan there was supposed to be a sculpture of the Motherland with a red banner and a kneeling soldier on a pedestal (according to some versions, the author of this project was Ernst Neizvestny). According to the original plan, two monumental staircases led to the monument. But subsequently Vuchetich changed the basic idea of the monument. After the Battle of Stalingrad, the country faced more than 2 years of bloody battles and Victory was still far away. Vuchetich left the Motherland alone, now she called on her sons to begin the victorious expulsion of the enemy. He also removed the pompous pedestal of the Motherland, which practically repeated the one on which his victorious Soldier stands in Treptower Park. Instead of monumental stairs (which, by the way, were already built), a serpentine path appeared near the Motherland. The Motherland itself has “grown” relative to its original size - its height has reached 36 meters. But this option was not final either. Soon after finishing work on the foundation of the main monument, Vuchetich (on Khrushchev’s instructions) increases the size of the Motherland to 52 meters. Because of this, the builders had to urgently “load” the foundation, for which 150 thousand tons of earth were placed in the embankment.

In the Timiryazevsky district of Moscow, at Vuchetich’s dacha, where his workshop was located and today the architect’s house-museum, you can see working sketches: a scaled-down model of the Motherland, as well as a life-size model of the statue’s head.

In a sharp, swift impulse, a woman stood up on the mound. With a sword in her hands, she calls on her sons to defend the Fatherland. Her right leg is slightly laid back, her torso and head are vigorously turned to the left. The face is stern and strong-willed. Knitted eyebrows, a wide open, screaming mouth, short hair blown by gusts of wind, strong arms, a long dress that fits the body, the ends of a scarf blown by gusts of wind - all this creates a feeling of strength, expression and an irresistible desire to move forward. Against the background of the sky, she is like a bird soaring in the sky.

The sculpture of the Motherland looks great from all sides at any time of the year: in the summer, when the mound is covered with a continuous grass carpet, and on a winter evening - bright, illuminated by the rays of spotlights. The majestic statue, protruding against the background of the dark blue sky, seems to grow out of the mound, merging with its snowy cover.

general information

Construction

The prototype of the sculpture was Anastasia Antonovna Peshkova,

graduate of Barnaul Pedagogical School in 1953

(according to other sources, Valentina Izotova)

Valentina Izotova

In October 2010, work began to ensure the safety of the statue.

Technical data

The sculpture is made from prestressed concrete blocks - 5,500 tons of concrete and 2,400 tons of metal structures (excluding the base on which it stands).

The total height of the monument is 85-87 meters. It is installed on a concrete foundation 16 meters deep. The height of the female figure is 52 meters (weight - over 8 thousand tons).

Sculpture “Motherland Calls!” - sculptural composition on Mamayev Kurgan In Volgograd. Dedicated to the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad of the Great Patriotic War.

The work of sculptor E. V. Vuchetich and engineer N. V. Nikitin represents a multi-meter figure of a woman quickly stepping forward with a raised sword. The head of the statue is an allegorical image of the Motherland, calling its sons to fight the enemy. In an artistic sense, the statue is a modern interpretation of the image of the ancient goddess of victory Nike.

Triptych

The monument “The Motherland Calls” is an integral part of the triptych - that is, a work of art consisting of three parts.

The first part of “Rear to Front!” is located in Magnitogorsk, where the Worker gives the Warrior a sword,
The second part is “Motherland” with a symbolically raised sword in Stalingrad,
The third part is “The Liberator Warrior” in Treptower Park in Berlin with his sword already lowered.

History of the construction of the memorial

Construction of the sculpture “The Motherland Calls!” was started in May 1959 and completed on October 15, 1967 and took a full 8 years. At the time of its creation, the sculpture became the tallest sculpture in the world. The sculpture is made of prestressed concrete blocks - 5,500 tons of concrete and 2,400 tons of metal structures. The depth of the concrete foundation is 16 meters.

The monument was created on site, the head and sword were made separately and installed using helicopters.

The length of the sword of the Motherland is 33 meters, and its weight is 14 tons. Initially, the statue's sword was made of steel covered with sheets; later the blade was made of fluorinated steel, as the sheets were deformed and rattled due to constant winds.

Restoration work on the Main monument of the monument-ensemble was carried out twice: in 1972 and 1986.

The total height of the grandiose monument is 85 meters, weight - 8 thousand tons. 200 granite steps lead from the foot of Mamayev Kurgan to the pedestal of the monument. The hill itself is a mound, i.e. a huge grave where 34 thousand soldiers - defenders of Stalingrad are buried. The Motherland is twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty - this was one of the main requirements during its construction.

The monument “The Motherland Calls” is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest at the time of construction in the world.

The prototype of the sculpture “The Motherland is Calling!”

According to some reports, the prototype of the statue “Motherland” was girls from Volgograd: Ekaterina Grebneva, Anastasia Peshkova and Valentina Izotova. However, this fact has not been confirmed by anyone or anything. According to another legend, the basis for the “Motherland” statue is taken from the “Marseillaise” figure on triumphal arch in Paris.

Mamaev kurgan

“The Motherland is calling!” installed on the Mamayev Kurgan - a high hill, a few hundred meters from which is the legendary height 102, behind which bloody battles took place for 140 days in Stalingrad during the Great Patriotic War.

Also, on Mamayev Kurgan there are several mass and individual graves, in which more than 35,000 defenders of Stalingrad are buried in total.

Sights of Mamayev Kurgan

The following memorial compositions are located on the mound site:

Introductory composition-high relief “Memory of Generations”
Alley of pyramidal poplars
Square of Those Who Stood to the Death
Ruin walls
Heroes Square
Monumental relief
Hall of Military Fame
Square of Sorrow
The main monument “The Motherland is Calling!”
War Memorial Cemetery
Memorial arboretum at the foot of Mamayev Kurgan
Tank turret on a pedestal
All Saints Church

In Volgograd I took advantage unique offer press service of the governor of the Volgograd region and rose to the head of the famous statue “The Motherland Calls”. They say that only a few people a year rise to the top. Under the cut I will show you what’s inside...

The “Motherland Calls” monument, one of the tallest statues in the world, is part of the historical and memorial complex “Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad” on Mamayev Kurgan.

There are 200 steps leading up to it—that’s how many days the Battle of Stalingrad lasted. According to the plan of the architect Evgeniy Vuchetich, the staircase was supposed to go all the way to the Volga, but, as usual, there was not enough money. Now there is talk about completing construction.

We began our climb to Mamayev Kurgan from the square “Standing to the Death”, to which an alley of pyramidal poplars leads, and behind it the “Ruin Walls” begin. In the center of the square there is a figure of a soldier-defender of Stalingrad. According to architect Evgeniy Vuchetich, “ This is an allegorical image of the Soviet warrior people, standing to the death, ready to deal an inevitable blow to the enemy. His figure rises from the heaving earth, as if turned into a rock - an indestructible bastion against fascism. The warrior merged with mother earth, as if drawing new strength from her«.

There are inscriptions scratched on the rock: “ Stand to death», « There is no land for us beyond the Volga», « No step back!», « Every home is a fortress», « Let us not disgrace the sacred memory»:

Ruin walls produce strong impression and you can look at them for hours. These are peculiar ruins of structures destroyed by long-term shelling, countless bombings, and damaged by direct hits from shells and machine gun fire. The theme of the left wall is “Not a step back!”, the right wall is “Only forward!”.

The figure of the famous sniper Vasily Zaitsev, who killed 225 German soldiers and officers during the war, at the top of the left wall seems very small, although in fact it is made in human height:

There are a lot of inscriptions on the walls, among which there is a quote from the collection of one of the Komsomol organizations in Stalingrad:

Listened: On the behavior of Komsomol members in battle.
Decided: It’s better to die in a trench, but not to leave in disgrace. And not only don’t leave yourself, but make sure that your neighbor doesn’t leave either.
Question for the speaker: Are there good reasons leaving the firing position?
Answer: Of all the exculpatory reasons, only one will be taken into account - death."

The staircase, passing the Ruin Walls, leads to Heroes Square with the Lake of Tears pool in the middle. To the left of the pool is the Banner Wall, on which the words are carved: “The iron wind beat in their faces, and they kept moving forward, and again a feeling of superstitious fear gripped the enemy: were they people going on the attack, were they mortal?”

From here you can enter the round building - the “Hall of Military Glory”:

In the center of the hall there is a monument with an eternal flame, and on the walls there are thirty-four symbolic banners with the names of 7,200 heroic defenders of Stalingrad carved on them. In total, about 3 million people died in the Battle of Stalingrad:

Through the huge opening in the roof of the hall the Motherland is visible. Architect Vuchetich told Andrei Sakharov: “My bosses ask me why her mouth is open, because it’s ugly. I answer: And she screams - for the Motherland... your mother! - shut up":

Every day from 9 am to 7 pm there is a guard of honor in the Hall of Military Glory:

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There are only 2 cities in our country where there is an honor guard - Moscow and Volgograd:

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The exit from the Hall of Military Glory leads to the Square of Sorrow. Here is the figure of a grieving mother, in whose arms is a dead warrior:

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The ascent to the main monument of Mamayev Kurgan begins from Sorrow Square:

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The statue weighing 8 thousand tons is not attached to the foundation in any way. She stands calmly on it, like a chess piece on a board:

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The height of the statue of the Motherland is 52 meters. In her right hand she holds a sword whose length is 33 meters and weighs 14 tons. The monument stands on a 16-meter foundation. The total height of the sculpture is 85 meters:

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You can get inside the monument through a small door at the base. Double door. There is a staircase hidden behind the first one:

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Inside, the statue resembles the famous lithograph “Relativity” by Maurits Escher:

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We tried to estimate the number of steps leading up. The result is 187:

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Inside the statue there are tension ropes weighing 60 tons each:

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Their tension is monitored using special sensors. When the tension weakens, they are tightened:

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This room can be called the Heart of the Motherland. It is located at chest level and the cables from the left and right arms of the statue are fixed in it. The room itself is also tied with ropes so that the monument does not tear apart under the weight of hands:

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Left hand attachment (without sword):

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And this is the entrance to right hand(with sword):

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At the bottom left is the entrance to the cloak, and to the right behind the fittings is the entrance to the left hand:

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There are inscriptions on the walls from time to time. Apparently, some builders decided to immortalize themselves:

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The entrance to the head is as narrow as the rest of the body:

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The child had the easiest time of all, but I couldn’t squeeze through with the backpack on my shoulders - I had to take it off:

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Room in the head. There is a comfortable bench where you can sit and rest. A hatch opens in the top of the head, through which we leaned out:

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Nikita Baryshev, who organized the excursion for us, was the first to climb out.

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Below you can see the Church of All Saints:

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The statue has many “tattoos” on its arm left by climbers:

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After the construction of the statue in 67, the rivets of the first sword began to crack, and the sword itself vibrated with a terrible sound, so in 72 it was replaced with a more modern one with vibration damping systems:

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There is a hatch in the guard on each side. We got out through the same one:

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And this is the famous “Dancing Bridge”. Remember the fake video that spread all over the Internet, and even ended up on TV, where this bridge vibrated terribly.

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