Square of the Fallen FightersAlso known as the People's Demonstrations Square in Soviet sources referred to the paved area in front of the stands, while the name Pavshikh Bortsov Square applied only to the park. In modern sources, both parts are referred to as Square of the Fallen Fighters. (in Russian: Площадь Павших Борцов) is the central square of Volgograd. It has a T-shaped layout, distinctive in its planning and development. The architecture of the buildings on the square is designed based on a unified approach: a tall, three-story, deeply rusticated wall supports the crowning part of the buildings with a rhythmic series of pilasters of the Corinthian order, giving the square's ensemble a strict expressiveness and memorial character. A part of the square is occupied by a park surrounding the mass graves of the fallen heroes of Tsaritsyn and Stalingrad, transitioning into the Alley of Heroes.
The architectural ensemble of Square of the Fallen Fighters, designed by architects V. N. Simbirtsev and E. I. Levitan, is a monument of architecture and urban planning of regional significance. Additionally, within the boundaries of the square is a monument of federal historical significance: "Memorial Site Where on January 31, 1943, the Troops of the Don Front under the Command of Colonel-General Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky Completed the Defeat of the Southern Group of Fascist German Troops Encircled in the Stalingrad Area and Raised the Red Banner of Victory". The majority of the individual buildings located on the square also hold the status of cultural heritage objects of the Russian Federation.
History
Before the Revolution
Until the mid-19th century, the area now occupied by Square of the Fallen Fighters and the Alley of Heroes was a ravine extending from the Tsaritsa River, later filled in with available materials. The first significant structure on the square was a wooden fire watchtower, built around 1854 at the site of the entrance to the modern Medical University.Shkoda R. Эволюция площади Павших борцов. Часть 1. Царицын.рф (17 September 2015). The square, then called City Square, served as a marketplace for trade, and later merchants' shops, taverns, and homes of wealthy Tsaritsyn residents began to appear.
On April 4, 1882, a stone chapel dedicated to Alexander Nevsky was consecrated on City Square in memory of Emperor Alexander II, who was assassinated the previous year. On October 22, 1888, the Tsaritsyn City Duma decided to build the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral to commemorate the miraculous survival of Emperor Alexander III and his family after a train crash.Ivanov S. M., Suprin V. I. Православие на волгоградской земле: храмы Царицына – Сталинграда – Волгограда. Волгоград: ВГИПК РО, 2003. pp. 176—181. From this time, City Square was renamed Alexandrovskaya Square. The cathedral's foundation stone was laid on April 22, 1901, and it was consecrated on May 19, 1918.
On May 1, 1906, an incident on Alexandrovskaya Square resulted in the deaths of several residents. Prior to the event, rumors of a planned general strike circulated in the city; on May 1, workers from several major factories did not show up for work. By evening, a detachment of mobilized militia was marching near the square with songs, mistaken by the police chief for a crowd of demonstrators. A dispatched Cossack unit began dispersing the crowd with whips. By the time it was clarified that the group consisted of militia, a crowd of several thousand had gathered, some of whom began shooting and throwing stones at the police. In response, the police opened fire on the crowd, resulting in eight people seriously injured, four of whom died.
In 1909, the city celebrated the centennial of N. V. Gogol, during which voluntary donations were collected for a monument. In the summer of 1910, the city's first monument was erected in honor of the writer in front of the under-construction Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. Additionally, Yelizavetinskaya Street and the park where the monument was placed were renamed in honor of Gogol.
On June 2, 1913, the foundation was laid for the House of Science and Arts (now the New Experimental Theatre) in the northwest part of the square. It was ceremonially opened on December 20, 1915, and later housed music classes, a library, a local history museum, performances, and lectures.In the summer of 1919, during the battles for Tsaritsyn in the Russian Civil War, the city was captured by the troops of P. N. Wrangel. On June 20, the first parade in the history of the Caucasian Army was held on Alexandrovskaya Square, commanded by P. N. Wrangel and reviewed by A. I. Denikin. When the Red Army retook Tsaritsyn on February 8, 1920, the square hosted the burial of 55 fallen revolutionaries, and from this time, it was renamed Pavshikh Bortsov Revolution Square. On May 3, 1923, a monument was unveiled at the burial site with an inscription on one side reading, "From the proletariat of Red Tsaritsyn to the fighters for freedom who fell in 1919 at the hands of Wrangel's executioners," and on the other side stating that the Tsaritsyn proletariat sacredly honors the memory of their fallen comrades. The monument was located on the axis of Moskovskaya Street, near the corner of the "Capital Rooms" hotel (now the "Volgograd" hotel).
Interwar period
On May 1, 1925, a monument to V. I. Lenin, created by Leningrad sculptor V. V. Kozlov, was unveiled on the square. It was located at the entrance to the park near the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, close to the current site of the Medical University. The monument, designed in a constructivist style, depicted a bronze Lenin in everyday attire with his right hand raised high, standing on a large carved bolt placed on a tall concrete pedestal.
The active formation of the new architectural ensemble of Square of the Fallen Fighters began in 1928 with the design and construction of the first new building, a five-story House of the City Communal Department (Gorko). Completed in 1930, it was later called the "Second House of Soviets" but became known as the House of Pilots after a pilots' school was added in 1931 in the new constructivist architectural style, novel for central Stalingrad.
In 1932, the administrative center of the Lower Volga Region was transferred from Saratov to Stalingrad, spurring construction to accommodate relocated institutions and their staff. The First House of Soviets (also known as the Commune House, previously the "Stalingradskaya" hotel) was expanded with a fourth floor. In the same year, a four-story dormitory for the regional executive committee was built in the constructivist style along the central axis of Square of the Fallen Fighters. On March 21, 1932, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was demolished. The adjacent Gogol Park was expanded and renovated, with flowerbeds planted, trees added, and benches installed. In 1933, the monument-obelisk to the defenders of Red Tsaritsyn was relocated from its original position on Moskovskaya Street to the park.
In 1934, the Red Army House (formerly Yablokov's house) was expanded by two floors according to a project by P. Kalinichenko and I. Ivashchenko. In 1935, the city's largest hotel, the "Bolshaya Stalingradskaya" with 230 rooms (designed by Maslov, F. Dyuzhenko, and V. Kochedamov), was built, along with the "Intourist" hotel and the administrative-residential building of Oblmestprom (Legprom), designed by V. Kochedamov and I. Ivashchenko. These buildings were also designed in the constructivist style with strict facade lines and large glazed areas.
In 1936, the Main Post Office building (previously owned by merchant A. A. Repnikov) was reconstructed according to V. Stepanov's design, later housing Narkomtyazhprom and Pishcheprom institutions, and eventually model stores for "Meat," "Fish," and "Tobacco." A year later, the Regional Executive Committee building, designed by I. Ivashchenko in the constructivist style, was completed at the intersection of Lomonosovskaya and Pervomayskaya streets, balancing the northwest side of Square of the Fallen Fighters. The pre-war ensemble of the square was completed in 1938 with the construction of the Central Department Store, designed by M. Tsubikova, I. Ivashchenko, and A. Chekulaev.
Overall, the pre-war architectural ensemble of the square was diverse: on one hand, it retained brick style buildings. On the other, constructivist buildings emerged. Additionally, the ensemble included reconstructed buildings expanded atop former merchant mansions. In total, eight new buildings were constructed, and four older Tsaritsyn-era buildings were renovated during this period.
Battle of Stalingrad During the Battle of Stalingrad, the square became a battleground for fierce fighting. From September 15 to 27, 1942, soldiers of the 13th Guards Rifle Division held the defense on the square.
By January 1943, the Germans had turned the square into the main stronghold of the southern group of Paulus' troops. The adjacent buildings and streets —Krasnoznamenskaya, Surskaya, and Lomonosovskaya— were heavily fortified. When the headquarters of the 6th Army was established in the basement of the department store, the command of the encircled troops further strengthened the defending garrisons.
On January 30, 1943, units of the 38th Motorized Rifle Brigade, under the command of Colonel I. D. Burmakov, overcame German resistance on the streets adjacent to the square. By the morning of January 31, they reached Square of the Fallen Fighters and captured the buildings of the Gorky Drama Theatre and the Regional Party Committee. At the same time, under the blows of the 62nd Army, German resistance points in the city garden and railway station fell. Despite being surrounded, the Germans continued to resist. Soviet forces then opened fire with cannons and mortars on the department store housing Paulus' headquarters. Simultaneously, Soviet soldiers approached and blockaded the building, forcing Paulus to negotiate.
The first to enter the 6th Army headquarters and conduct preliminary negotiations for the surrender of the southern German group were officers of the 38th Brigade: F. M. Ilichenko, N. F. Gritsenko, and A. I. Mezhirko. By 9 a.m., the chief of staff of the 64th Army, I. A. Laskin, Colonel I. D. Burmakov, and several other officers arrived to finalize the negotiations.
On February 4, a ceremonial rally was held on Square of the Fallen Fighters to celebrate the defeat of the German fascist troops at Stalingrad. During his speech, the secretary of the regional party committee and chairman of the city defense committee, A. S. Chuyanov, pointing to the city's ruins, said: "In battles with the hated enemy —German fascist invaders— our city has been turned into heaps of rubble. Today, we swear to our Motherland, the Party, and the government that we will revive our beloved city!"
After the War After the war, extensive design and construction of city center facilities took place, with particular attention to Square of the Fallen Fighters, whose planning began in 1945. Initially, a monumental House of Soviets was planned for the site now occupied by the Medical University and the "Volgograd" hotel. However, two nationwide competitions for the best design yielded unsatisfactory results, and the House of Soviets was relocated to the north of the square, where the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral now stands. Due to the design of several structures —the Regional Party School, the communal hotel (now the "Volgograd" hotel), and the "Intourist" hotel— a symmetrical composition and architectural character for the square's buildings were chosen.