This museum has a great mix of models , photos , & personal items that all go together to tell the story of Stalingrad's struggle.The exhibits take you through several halls to graphically tell the history of this extraordinary city.It really shows the reality of the battle & the terrible destruction it caused to the city & it's people.The outside of the museum is on the bank of the river Volga & the remains of the flour mill the building which survived the battle & bombardment.The outside is as stunning & visually amazing as some of the exhibits inside.
Amazing insight into the battle of the Volga .. So many lives lost in such deplorable winter conditions. No English, so a guide is invaluable. Diorama is very representative of such an unfortunate battle!
A very informative museum about WW2. There is a lot of items dating back to that era and you move yourself in circles from top to bottom. Easy to navigate. A VERY impressive painting follows you over a long distance, covering the battle at Volgograd. That itself is a good reason to visit.
Visiting this monument is very overwhelming. Man can feel the atmosphere from those horrible period during WW2. Starting from the river bank you go up the huge stairs and you keep going up through a mausoleum until you end at the feet of the immense statue of 91 meters high;"The motherland calls". It was designed by sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich and structural engineer Nikolai Nikitin and is beluieved the third lage staue in the world.very impressive.
While the dioramas are excellent, the museum is otherwise a bit of a non-event. Don't bother to buy a ticket to take photos unless you want to photograph the dioramas, because there's otherwise not much of real interest here (Paulus's last headquarters under the Univermag building is much more interesting and free).
Excellent collection of artefacts and memorabilia relating to the famous battle on the Volga which raged non-stop from August 1942 until February 1943 and resulted in the ultimate deaths of perhaps 1.5 million men women and children on both sides of the Russo-German conflict. The estimate of 1.5 million is very elastic, the Russians (Soviets) admit to losing 478,000 troops plus an unknown number of civilians while the German Sixth Army numbered about 330,000 when the battle began -- of whom only 5,000 ultimately returned to Germany by 1955. I mention this merely to emphasise the enormity of the battle which is regarded by many historians, but of course not all, as the turning point of WW2.A great place to start or finish your tour of Volgograd WW2 (Great Patriotic War) battle sites. Sadly there are not many left now, the Department Store Museum is now closed I have heard and neither the Grain Silo or Barrikady are open to the public. Yevgeny Kulichenko however can show you quite a few, including the bullet riddled steel lamp post and The Nail Factory site as well as where the Dancing Children Fountain once was.
The artifacts in this museum are excellent, though there is little in the way of explanation in English. It is next to the destroyed old brick bakery, worth a look. However, this should be just one stop in Stalingrad/Volgograd to understand the WWII battle - be sure to visit Mamaev Hill with its memorial/museum and monuments, the central embankment (and preserved fire boat monument) where the Germans reached the Volga, monuments along Chuikov Avenue, the childrens' fountain opposite the main railway station, and the Square of Perished Heroes. If you have time, hire a driver to take you just out of town to visit the WWII Soviet and German cemeteries (close together), and historic Gumrak rail station, near the airport (hard to find, ask locals for directions when you think you are close). This all can be done in one long day, if you privately hire a good guide and driver, which I highly recommend if you have a real interest in WWII history.
It's a really well made museum. I was not expecting it will be that good. In front of it there are few IS tanks. Unfortunatelly, nearly everything is just in russian but luckilly you can have a guide.
I visited Volgograd State Panoramic Museum 2 days ago . It was realy amazing presantation. During my visit one of the offical quide who was represanted all museum with perfect explanation. I would like to thank you quide Anna for more than two hours presantation.
I learned an amazing deal about the second world war in Russia. I understand the Russian people better, due to learning about the hardships they had to endure. Very nicely depicted! Much bigger than i expected from the outside of the building.To be recommended by a Dutch traveler.