The Motherland Calls () is a colossal neoclassicist and socialist realist war memorial sculpture on Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd, Russia. Designed primarily by sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich with assistance from architect Yakov Belopolsky, the concrete sculpture commemorates the casualties of the Battle of Stalingrad, and is the predominant component of a monument complex, which includes several plazas and other sculptural works. Standing tall from the base of its pedestal to its peak, the statue was the tallest in the world upon its completion in 1967, and is the tallest statue in Europe if including the pedestal. The statue, along with the rest of the complex, was dedicated on 15 October 1967, and has been listed as a tentative candidate for UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites since 2014.
The sculpture depicts a female personification of Russia, commonly called "Mother Russia". She wears a windswept shawl resembling wings, and holds a sword aloft in her right hand. Her left hand is extended outward, as she calls upon the Soviet people to battle. The statue was originally planned to be made of granite and to stand only tall, with a design consisting of a Red Army soldier genuflecting and placing a sword before Mother Russia holding a folded banner. However, the design was changed in 1961 to be a large concrete structure at nearly double the height, a decision criticised by Soviet military officials and writers. It was inspired by the Winged Victory of Samothrace, an ancient Greek sculpture of the goddess of victory, Nike.
Construction of The Motherland Calls began in 1963, and was led by structural engineer Nikolai Nikitin. The project faced numerous challenges, including the assembly of the statue's framework and its intricate features; these issues were further compounded by the statue's size. Delays were caused by cold weather and unforeseen geological issues, necessitating extensive foundation reinforcement and relocation of water systems. Additional complications arose with the statue's sword, which had to be redesigned due to problems with wind resistance. Despite these obstacles, the memorial was completed in 1967 for the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution.
After its dedication, the sculpture underwent numerous alterations and restoration attempts. In 1972, the statue's sword was replaced with a higher-grade steel alloy version to reduce wind resistance, and by 1986, the statue had tilted significantly from its original axis. Concerns about the statue's structural integrity arose by the early 21st century, with the statue in disrepair and at risk of collapsing. Comprehensive restoration efforts began later in the century, and by 2020, the monument had undergone extensive restoration, although post-renovation critiques and new structural issues have since arisen. The sculpture has been featured on various official Russian symbols, commemorative coins, stamps, and postcards.
Background
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major conflict between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany on the Eastern Front of World War II, fought over six months from July 1942 to February 1943. The battle resulted in a decisive Soviet victory but came at a tremendous cost, with over a million estimated Soviet-suffered casualties.; ; . The battle was quickly mythologised in Soviet culture, and was widely referred to as the turning point in the war in Soviet history textbooks.
The idea of commemorating the Soviet victory in the Battle of Stalingrad originated in the final years of the war. Soviet politicians and artists had considered designs for monuments to the battle prior to the war's end, and the first Soviet museum commemorating World War II was established as early as March 1943. In 1944, the publication Arkhitektura SSSR issued a number of articles detailing possible designs for memorials. Following the end of the war in 1945, several small-scale obelisks and commemorative plaques were erected across the Soviet Union; however, larger plans for monuments were curtailed by leader Joseph Stalin, who sought to refocus attention on emerging Cold War conflicts, virtually prohibiting all public observation of the war by 1948.
In 1948, sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich, a member of the Academy of Arts of the Soviet Union, began discussing plans for a monument for the Battle of Stalingrad with architect Yakov Belopolsky, with whom he had previously collaborated on the development of the Soviet War Memorial in Berlin's Treptower Park.; . The project was intended to be built atop Mamayev Kurgan, an ancient burial mound that was the site of intense conflict during the battle.; . Vuchetich started petitioning high-ranking Soviet officials for permission to design the monument in the early 1950s, including Politburo member Georgy Malenkov. In a letter to Malenkov dated December 1951, Vuchetich claimed that he had received multiple inquiries from veterans and family members of those who died in the war about the absence of a memorial on Mamayev Kurgan.
After Stalin's death in March 1953, plans for a memorial on Mamayev Kurgan were revitalised. In March 1954, the Council of Ministers announced a competition for the design of a "State Museum of the Defence of Tsaritsyn-Stalingrad", which would include a large panoramic painting depicting the battle; by this time, Vuchetich and Belopolsky had already finalised drafts for the project's structural designs. On 23 January 1958, the Council of Ministers declared that the construction of "a memorial-monument in the city of Stalingrad commemorating victory over the German fascist force" would be overseen by a committee led by Vuchetich and comprising Belopolsky and Anatoly Garpenko, an artist and Red Army veteran.
Design and construction Design and style
Vuchetich and Belopolsky's initial designs for the project were ambitious and took much of their inspiration from the memorial at Treptower Park. The original plan for the monument featured a triumphal arch that led to a granite staircase, followed by a brick staircase in an avenue of Lombardy poplar trees.; A second granite staircase led to a circular plaza, with a large granite statue of a Russian man titled Stand To the Death! Behind the statue, a final granite staircase led to a plaza with an entrance to an underground complex called the "Panorama". A cupola-shaped hall would include an eternal flame to memorialise the heroes of Stalingrad, a sculpture of a man shaping a sword into a ploughshare, and walls engraved with the names of those who died in the battle. An exit at the end of the hall led to a second observation platform with a panoramic painting depicting a prosperous post-war Stalingrad.
The principal component of the project was to be a colossal statue at the top of Mamayev Kurgan; at the statue's base, a foyer would be built to allow visitors to honour the dead with commemorative gifts. The statue was designed according to the principles of neoclassicism and socialist realism, both artistic styles in which Vuchetich specialised.; . The original plan for the sculpture was to have it constructed entirely of granite, with a design featuring a Red Army soldier genuflecting and placing a sword before a female personification of Russia, commonly referred to as Mother Russia, holding a folded banner; this was later changed to be a concrete statue of a lone Mother Russia wearing a windblown shawl resembling wings and holding a sword aloft in her right hand, with her left hand extended outward as she calls upon the Soviet people to fight against the enemy. The design was inspired by the Winged Victory of Samothrace, an ancient Greek sculpture of the goddess of victory, Nike.
Committee members initially suggested that the sculpture should be dressed in traditional Russian clothing. Vuchetich objected to the proposition, arguing that a traditional costume would diminish the idea of the battle as an international event and defy the neoclassical style he had envisioned for the statue. The sculpture was initially planned to be tall from its pedestal to its peak; however, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev ordered it to be taller than the tall Statue of Liberty in a display of dominance over the United States, their geopolitical rival during the Cold War.; ; . The height of the statue alone was increased to , nearly double the originally planned height, a decision that further increased the project's cost, which had already substantially overrun its budget. Vuchetich chose a 26-year-old waitress, Valentina Izotova, to be the model for the body of the statue, although he also drew inspiration from the physique of famous Soviet discus thrower Nina Dumbadze, while the face of the statue is believed to have been based on that of Vuchetich's wife, Vera Vladimirovna Vuchetich.; .
The choice to make The Motherland Calls the primary feature of the monument complex was met with derision from Soviet military officials, including generals Andrey Yeryomenko and Mikhail Shumilov, who believed the statue's design would detract from the importance of the Panorama, which they thought to be the only structure that could faithfully represent the extent of the soldiers' experiences. Vuchetich rationalised the decision by asserting the monument should reflect the widespread recognition of the Battle of Stalingrad as the turning point of the war, and marketed the project as one part of a sculptural triptych that would encompass the memorial at Treptower Park and a planned monument in Moscow. The planned sculpture also attracted criticism from Soviet writers, including Viktor Nekrasov, who claimed the monument would defile the historic site.
Construction While construction on the rest of the monument complex began in 1961, work on The Motherland Calls did not start until late 1962. Vuchetich's final design for the sculpture was approved by the artist committee in December 1962, and on 23 January 1963 the Council of Ministers ordered the development of blueprints for the statue. The process of building of the monument would prove to be more complicated than anticipated by its developers, primarily due to its size and the complexity of its details. After the Sculptural Group of the Artistic Fund requested to be relieved of their construction duties and the construction firm Volgogradgidrostroi expressed reservations about taking over the project, structural engineer Nikolai Nikitin was appointed to lead the construction efforts.; .
In 1963, Nikitin's design team began planning the construction process for the monument, finalising their designs by August. Nikitin began his role as head of the team by emphasising unresolved issues, specifically the lack of geological and hydrological studies that had been recommended earlier in the year. In a report to the Ministry of Culture made in September, he insisted these studies were crucial due to the extensive construction already completed and the need to ensure the foundation's durability and stability, particularly given the presence of mellite clays on Mamayev Kurgan; the hill could only support the structure if the moisture of its soil remained low. Nikitin noted that the foundation, initially designed for a statue half the height, required an investigation to confirm its suitability. Almost immediately following his report, the Ministry sent a team to Volgograd to thoroughly investigate the issues.