6-day trip to Stalingrad/Volgograd
It is impossible to investigate the German trauma Stalingrad just by studying war diaries, army postal letters, biografies or novels. It takes the personal look around Stalingrad, today´s Volgograd, to understand the senselessness of the actions that have taken place. The emptiness of the Steppe, the enormous distances are almost impossible to put into words. One has to travel Stalingrad in order to get closer to the disaster.
| Day 1 |
Departure from Frankfurt to Moscow with Aeroflot. We win a day by using this carrier as the airport for Volgograd for non-Russian airlines is located on the other side of Greater Moscow. We change plane in Moscow – Scheremetjewo and carry on to Volgograd. Then we check into Intourist Hotel Volgograd. The building was constructed in classical style and is a architectural monument of the 20th century. It is right in the cultural centre of the city and the River Volga is just a five minute walk away. Dinner at the hotel. |
Day 2
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3. Today we will visit the well-known Stalingrad locations such as the Square of Fallen Heroes, Pavlov´s House,the Grudinin Mill,Lyudnikov's island and the Panorama Museum and, naturally, Hill 102, better known as Mamajew Kurgan. This hill was very important in the Russian defence line of the Stalingrad Front. The name in Russian means "tumulus of Mamai", a commander of the Tatar Golden Horde in the 1370s. In the afternoon we will vsiti the headquarters of Field Marshal Paulus in the cellar of the Univermag Department Store. Then we drive to the “Tennis Racket”, the grain silo. Afterwards we will return to the hotel for dinner.
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Day 3
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Today we will see the less known places of the Battle of Stalingrad“. They are of important significance, such as „Hartmann-Stadt“. Hartmann-Stadt is named after Generalleutnant and holder of the Knight´s Cross, Alexander von Hartmann who commanded the 71. Infantry Division and who had his headquarters in this area. He got killed on 26 January 1943 near the famous Zariza Ravine and was promoted to Generalleutnant (Lieutenant General) posthumously. Further destinations are the bitterly battled factories such as the Barrikady Factory, Red October or Krasny Oktyabr and the Dzerzhinsky tractor factory. We will then return to the hotel for dinner.
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Day 4
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Our destinations today are the former German regimental and divisional headquarters near the railway station of Gumrak. Then we carry on the the old Gumrak and Pitomnik airfield.
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Day 5
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Today we will travel to Kalach and the “meeting of the armies' memorial as well as the Don bridge. Other places we will visit are Peskovatka, Vertyachiy, Karpovka und der Tatar Wall. On the way back into town we will visit the large German and Russian war cemeteries at Rossoschka and the Rossoschka Museum. We will then return to the hotel for our final dinner in Volgograd.
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Day 6
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Return flight via Moscow to Frankfurt. |
