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The capital city of Volgograd oblast: Volgograd.
Volgograd oblast (also spelled Volgogradskaya) is a federal subject of Russian Federation, part of South Federal District. The administrative center of the region is Volgograd city.
Volgograd oblast population - 2,600,000 (2010); land area - 112,877 sq. km.
Volgograd oblast has a favorable geographical location. The region is the main gate to the south of Russia and further to Iran, Iraq, Caucasus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan and backwards to central Russia and Volga region.
It is in Volgogradskaya oblast that 2 the most important rivers of the European part of Russia Volga and Don are linked by the Volga-Don canal. With its help the following seas can be reached: Caspian, White, Baltic, Black and Azov. The climate of Volgograd oblast is dry. The north-western part is located in forest steppe zone, eastern one - in half deserts zone approaching real deserts.
Volgograd oblast has high potential of natural resources for developing mineral and raw base due to various natural deposits: hydrocarbon (oil and gas), chemical (potassium, magnesium, sodium salts, phosphorites) and cement raw for metallurgical industry, iron ore, non-ferrous and rare metals and others. There is a lot of underground water including mineral water.
The largest cities and towns of the region are Volgograd (986,000), Volzhsky (307,000), Kamyshin (120,000), Mikhailovka (59,000).
Volgograd oblast scenery
Volgograd oblast view
Volgograd region scenery
In the early 16th century Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible joined the steppes of lower Volga to the Russian state. Before these territories were the parts of Astrakhan and Kazan khanate. Towns-fortresses were founded to defend south-eastern boundaries of the Russian state. The town of Tsarytsyn (Volgograd today) was one of them.
Crimean horde influenced by Turkey had been a permanent threat for southern boundaries of Russia. In 1717 Crimean and Kuban Tatars attacked the lower Volga region. It was the most powerful attack and as a result Tsarytsyn, Saratov and other cities were plundered.
There was an extremely urgent need to construct a fortification line on the territory between Volga and Don which was the most vulnerable to attacks of hostile tribes. Such a line 60 km long was constructed between Tsarytsyn and Panshino according to Peter’s I order in 1718-1720s. After the guarding fortification line was constructed and permanently protected the area of the lower Volga gradually started being inhabited and the process was regulated by the government.
In 1731 over 1,000 families of Ukrainians and Cossacks from Don territories were moved there. They formed Volga Cossack army. According to 2 manifests by Katherine the Great the foreigners were invited to settle in Russia. In 1765 foreigners came to this region, it was for the first time in the history of this area. Foreigners had a number of privileges: they were not to serve in the army and not to pay taxes for 30 years. As a result 102 German colonies were formed on both banks of the Volga.
At the same time the colony located about 28 km from Tsarytsyn was formed on the road Saratov-Astrakhan. It was named Sarepta, after the river Sarpa on which it was located. The first settlers of this colony were the followers of Yan Gus who left Czechia because of Catholic clergy’s pursuit.
At the end of 18th century when Crimea and Kuban were joined to Russia the boundaries of the state were moved far into the south. Tsarytsyn fortification line and Volga Cossack army were abolished and the city lost its military importance.
The development of trade influenced rapid growth of transportation and industry. In 1868 the construction of a railway began, it linked the city with central areas of the country and later with the Baltic Sea and Riga. Within a short period of time the city turned into a powerful juncture of railways and waterways. The merchants of Tsarytsyn called their city Russian Chicago.
In 1880 the town of Nobel was constructed due to oil industry, later it turned into the largest at that time oil industry complex. As a result of the civil war Tsarytsyn was fully destroyed. In April 1925 it was renamed into Stalingrad. It was the time of intense industrialization of the country. In 1928 the construction of the first in the USSR tractor-building plant began in the northern suburb of the city.
During the World War II the fights for the city lasted 6,5 months. As a result the city was turned to ruins. There was not a single spared building in its central part. Since 1961 the city has been named Volgograd.
Volgograd region road
Volgograd oblast country road
Volgograd oblast Peter the Great
Volgograd region is one of the most industrially developed territories of Russia with the balanced economics structure: agriculture with its various branches and different industries, oil and gas deposits. Two large navigable rivers linked with the Volga-Don canal flows across the oblast. Volzhskaya hydro-power station is located on the territory of the oblast.
Main industries are as follows: machine-building and metal-working (tractors, ships, cranes, equipment for oil, power engineering and food industries; boring, transportation, medical and trade equipment; fuel (oil and gas extracting), oil-processing, chemical, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy. Textile, wood-processing and food industries are well developed.
Volgograd oblast is remarkable for grain producing as well as oil, water-melons and melons. Important railways, highways, water- and airways cross the territory of the oblast. The lower Volga and Don linked with the Volga-Don canal favor freight carrying from the ports of European countries to Africa and the Middle East.
The territory of Volgogradskaya oblast is crossed by federal highway E119 - M6 “Moscow - Astrakhan”; highway E40 - M21 “Volgograd - Kishinyov”; road P228 “Syzran - Saratov - Volgograd”. The rivers Volga and Don are the main waterways of the oblast. Volgograd, Kalach-on-Don and Kamyshin are the port cities.
Volgograd Russia oblast church
Volgograd region church
Volgograd oblast cathedral
Volgogradskaya oblast Soviet past
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