Feature: Where history stands tall, Volgograd looks to future

Volgograd, once the battleground of the historic Battle of Stalingrad, remains deeply rooted in its wartime past while embracing growth, modernization, and a hopeful future.

MOSCOW, June 16 (Xinhua) -- On the banks of the Volga River, scattered scars of a past battle: A gunboat pockmarked with bullet holes, a war-damaged red-brick building, and, atop a nearby hill, the towering figure of The Motherland Calls -- sword aloft, gaze fixed in defiance.

This is Volgograd, once known as Stalingrad, a city where history is never far away. Eighty-two years after the key battle during World War II, Volgograd still bears witness to the fierce clash between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

From July 1942 to February 1943, the Battle of Stalingrad raged for more than six months, leaving over two million casualties. The city, once home to half a million people, was reduced to just 32,000 survivors. More than 40,000 buildings were destroyed, and less than 10 percent of the housing stock remained intact.

Yet today, Volgograd is home to over 1 million residents. The city's ruins, monuments and museums now stand alongside sports stadiums, parks, and growing industries.

"My great-grandfather, Shabanin Alexey Kirillovich, fought in Stalingrad," said Ilya Boryakov, a student at the local Avanguard sports camp, during a visit to Mamayev Kurgan, the hill that saw some of the fiercest fighting. "After he was wounded, he repaired airplanes."

Many teenagers at the camp are no strangers to the hill. "Each time I'm more and more impressed," said Dmitry Ovsyankin, now on his third visit. "The Motherland monument is so grand and awe-inspiring, it truly fills you with pride."

At 85 meters tall and weighing around 8,000 tonnes, The Motherland Calls monument, a memorial sculpture featuring a woman bearing a sword, dominates Mamayev Kurgan, now a sprawling complex. But it is just one of more than 200 commemorative sites scattered across the city.

Next to the white, circular building of the Panorama Museum "Stalingrad Battle" near the Volga River stands Gerhardt's Mill, its five stories riddled with bullet holes and blast marks. Partially collapsed, the building's exposed concrete and twisted rebar stand as a poignant reminder of the siege.

Just across the street is Pavlov's House -- once a simple apartment block defended stubbornly by Soviet soldiers. The remnants of its battle-scarred red bricks have been incorporated into the reconstructed building.

Less than a kilometer away, along the riverfront, a sleek glass building houses a small armored gunboat, the BK-31, raised from the Volga's depths in 2017 after 75 years underwater. The vessel's hull is riddled with holes, a stark contrast to the pristine glass that now protects it.

Inside, visitors find more than weapons and uniforms. There's a guitar, a half-empty bottle of perfume and a seventh-grade textbook, all belongings of the soldiers and their families.

"It's like a time capsule," said Olesya Krupkina, who toured the exhibition. "It gives us a glimpse of the lives of those who fought in the battle."

Today, Volgograd is more than just a city of memories. Between 2014 and 2024, the Volgograd region launched nearly 200 investment projects, creating around 10,000 new jobs. Its gross regional product almost doubled over the past six years.

The region serves as a gateway to southern Russia. The strategic position has made it a key player in regional transport and trade.

"We are open to cooperation, interested in developing constructive external relations, and ready to share what we consider our strengths -- stability, potential, and drive for development," said Deputy Regional Governor Anna Pisemskaya.

Daria Gulinova, a local university student, participated in numerous events commemorating the city's history over the years and is actively learning Chinese and English to become a language instructor at a local university.

"It is vital to remember the difficulties of the past, and to do everything for the bright future," Gulinova said.■