Mamayev Hill, Volgograd, Russia

Mamayev Hill is a monument commemorating the battle of Stalingrad, which occured from 1942-1943 in Stalingrad Russia (now Volgograd.) It was arguably the greatest victory for the soviets during World War 2, and Russians felt that the great battle deserved a monument in its commemoration. The linked article comes from "The Voice of Russia," and although not too argumentative, it is interesting to see the underlying pride that seeps through the words describing the intimidating monument. Through this article one will learn that according to the author the Motherland statue commemorating the soldiers of Stalingrad is the pinnacle of Russia, exuding it's superiority and somewhat troublesome past...perhaps indicating that it has overcome these troubles (true? eh not really.)

Now, a once war torn Stalingrad is now the prosperous city of Volgograd, as seen through the lenz of this author. From looking around at several documents, it has come to my attention that Volgograd is quite the "hotspot" for tourism. This would make sense, considering the "reality" of the turmoil this city once went through, the hardship it faced, yet now it is a positive, productive city.

Ironically, today; however, the monument was in need of urgent repairs to prevent it from toppling over. The beloved monument seems to be in danger of decay due to the high winds of Russia. This obviously illustrates how old the monument is, but also how important it is to the Volgogradian people.