Hi; This has all of a sudden become a real possibility. I suppose you would have to fly into Moscow and take the train to VOlgograd. My dream vacation starts in Helskinki, runs by train through Russia and the Balkans, and ends in Thessolonika and takes 6 months-but that is not possible just now. So...Moscow and Volgograd would also be a dream of a lifetime. Any recommendations from our Russian friends out there? THREE DAY SAMPLE TOUR JeffinMNUSA
Jeff, even though your post is ages old, I'll still answer this in the best way I can. Moscow and Volgograd are two of the best cities to go to if you're interested in the Second World War, as well as Kursk, and Sevastopol. Moscow has some stunning museums and memorials, to name a few : The Eternal Flame Memorial at the Kremlin Wall facing Okhotniy Ryad. The Great Patriotic Museum and Victory Park. The Anti-Tank 'Ezhi' Memorial at Leningradskoe avenue. And Volgograd as well : The Rodina-Mat' Memorial at Mamaev Kurgan. The Pavlov's House Memorial. The Battle of Stalingrad Museum and the old destroyed mill, the only building in Volgograd to be left in its wartime state, nearly fully annihilated. The Eternal Flame Memorial at Mamaev Kurgan. I'll enclose some pictures as well. By the way, going to Volgograd by train would be a good choice, as Russian Railway Services do tend to be a pretty reliable way of transport, not to mention rather comfy. I would advise you to fly to Moscow then take the train in to Volgograd. Pavlov's House Rodina-Mat' Rodina-Mat' again, but from a slightly different angle. The desroyed mill (the looming building in the back is the Battle Of Stalingad Museum) The Battle Of Stalingrad Museum (White building on the left, resemblant of a nuclear reactor) The Great Patriotic War Museum in Moscow, Victory Park.
I forgot to add these as well. The Eternal Flame Memorial in Volgograd, at Mamaev Kurgan (or hill). Different angle. The Eternal Flame Memorial at the Kremlin Wall. There are many other cities in Russia you could visit out of interest in WWII, Kursk, Vyazma, Mozhaisk, St. Peersburg, Kursk, Smolensk being some of them. Belorussia would be a good stop as well, Brest in particular, to see the the Brestskaya Krepost' memorial complex. Rzhev, Sevastopol in Ukraine, Kiev... If you need any further advice and if I may be of any help, let me know.
Thank you, I'm just doing the least I can I'll continue my mini-tour of Volgograd lol with a couple more photos and info on memorials I just recently found. Common grave of the 64th and 57th armies, both lost in the defence of Stalingrad. Command post of the 138th rifle division, a ruined production plant. Common grave of that same 138th rifle division, which was also lost in the defence of Stalingrad. The 'Ezhi' monument at Leningradskoye Avenue, Moscow. Air Force Monument on the 55th kilometre on Leningradskoye Avenue. A PE-3 plane crashed here, and all of its crew were instantly killed. That's what the plane looked like, and after that theres a pic of the memorial itself, a tailwing of that plane. Monument to the 28 soldiers of the Panfilov Division, all of which (according to Sovet propaganda, which was almost entirely myth) died defending the Moscow Region near the village of Dubosekovo, fighting back 51 (!!!) tanks. (There are 3 or more survivors of those 28 soldiers, so the propaganda can't be true) That's all for today lol.
Since I will probably never get to Russia, these photos are an excellent look at some of the monuments. Before I retired as a teacher, I would frequently show my students a film that took a tour of the Stalingrad monuments, with a long look at the changing of the guard. It was always an impressive film clip that the students enjoyed watching. Thanks for posting these pictures that I hadn't seen before.
Tovarisch- what amazing photos, esp the second one from the top, I just can't get over how huge it is! Lou-I understand, I would love to go to Russia however time and other finanical obligations (kids) would never permit me to see it...I told my grandfather that I wanted to see Russia and he asked me when I had won the lottery.
The statue's amazingly huge, isn't it? Kris, go with your kids, that would be an even better experience. Not only the statue, but the whole Mamaev Kurgan complex and museum is stunning. I guess English-speaking gudes in Volgograd aren't a rarity, so I would think that if you go you would be in for one hell of an experience, especially with a guide. Btw, cheers for the salute, LRusso *blushing* lol. I'm just trying to do the least I can for Volgograd - advertise it
By the way, if you're willing to take a tour of Moscow's memorials and WWII sites, bear in mind that they're really far away from each other, all of the memorials. From the Kremlin to Victory Park to Leningradskoye Avenue and the Moscow region, the tour would take a couple of days. You'd need a car and a lot of patience, believe me, I live here, and the traffic is just absolutely mental. At all times. You could wake up on a Sunday morning and find yourself stuck. That's just a little warning I guess Anyway, finally I'm going to add some pics of the Alley of Heroes in Volgograd. The Museums and Memorials are all so much better arranged in Volgograd than in Moscow, it's unbelievable. Better planning I guess, it's a lot more centralised and easily accessible. Quoting the site "Reach Volgograd".... From the Central Square in Volgograd you can walk along the “Alley of Heroes” all the way to the Volga River. The Alley is a strictly pedestrian zone that crosses several main streets in downtown Volgograd before reaching the riverfront area. The Alley of Heroes gets its name from the WWII casualties commemorated along this walkway. Just off the Central Square there is a large obelisk and an “eternal flame” in memory of fallen soldiers. As you continue walking down Hero Alley there is a green park and then a section of walkway that has been dedicated to souvenir vendors. Along this stretch of Hero Alley local artists sell oil paintings, watercolors, and made-to-order portraits. There are also vendors here who set up their little tables each day with Russian nesting dolls, folk handicrafts, and even jewelry. Past the vendors you'll come to the section of the Alley for which it is named. This section is lined on either side with marble slabs adorned with the names of fallen heroes of the famous WWII Battle of Stalingrad. Finally, the Alley of Heroes comes to an end at the spacious downtown riverfront area where you are greeted by a picturesque fountain, classical columns, and large stone steps leading down to the Volga River. You can make the entire walk in under an hour, depending on how long you stop for souvenirs. It is a must for every visitor to Volgograd.
