In search of Tsaritsyn

"In search of Tsaritsyn" was the name of our four—day trip to Volgograd. Tsaritsyn is the first name of the city, which was preserved from the moment of its foundation in 1555 until 1925, and the name itself comes from the name of the Tsaritsa River. The hydronym "Queen", in turn, originated from the Turkic "Sary-su" (sary — "yellow", su — "water").

The plan of the city of Tsaritsyn 1905 from Feokritov's guide to the Volga. Source: wikimedia.org

So where can I find him, this Tsaritsyn? Now the "brand" of the city is the Battle of Stalingrad and 99% of tourists come to Volgograd for this story, literally everything in the city is dedicated to this event. And, unfortunately, the battle destroyed more than 95% of the buildings of Tsaritsyn (Stalingrad). But who is looking, he will always find ;) You can see most of the preserved buildings of the Tsaritsin era of the 18th and 19th centuries by walking around the intersection of Tsiolkovsky and Akademicheskaya streets.

An example of the integration of historical buildings into modern architecture, Kovrovskaya Street

And you can also walk along Lenin Street (not to be confused with Lenin Avenue). Some of the historical buildings of Tsaritsyn today may not be recognized, since they were integrated into other buildings, built over or their facades were changed. For example, the Administration of the Volgograd Region is located in the building of the first Tsaritsin men's gymnasium — these are the first two floors of the left wing of the building.

In the photo above: The First men's gymnasium and a Real school. Source: wikimedia.org
In the photo below: a modern view of the Administration of the Volgograd region. Source: Ya.Maps

I also advise you to visit the Museum of local lore, but always with an excursion. The museum, by the way, is also located in the historical building of Tsaritsyn. And in a nearby 19th-century building, once the Volga-Kama Bank, there are funds of the Museum of local lore. By the way, you can also get into them by booking an excursion to the Sarmatian gold in the local history museum in advance. You turn around the corner of the building and find yourself on the same Lenin Street, which I wrote about above. Walk along it and walk through the park to the historic building of the fire tower (the tower itself was destroyed and recently restored). By the way, you can climb the tower and see the beautiful panorama of Volgograd by taking another excursion to the Museum of Local lore; on the way from the museum to the tower, you will just be told about the historical buildings on Lenin Street.
Naturally, not all 4 days we studied the buildings, there is something to see and learn around Volgograd. For example, did you know that grapes grow and wine is made in that region? So we were surprised and went to one of the local wineries — Zimovets. A tour of the production and tasting was conducted by a technologist. Since it is always a matter of taste, then come, taste and evaluate the wine of the Volgograd region, because we are not united by the Krasnodar Territory :). And they tried to grow wine in this region for a long time, there are mentions of this from the time of Ivan Grozny.

Part of the vineyards of the Zimovets winery

Another amazing place, or rather a structure, is the only mortuary in our country, located on the territory of the city cemetery No. 1 in the city of Volzhsky. This is a ceremonial structure designed for mourning funeral rites, built in the style of the Stalinist Empire. But what is even more surprising is that local historians cannot find documents about its construction: neither drawings, nor the name of the architect. The place of construction also raises questions: why is it the satellite city of Volgograd, and not in Volgograd itself.

Mortuary

We continue further: we go to one of the remote districts of Volgograd (this is now) — the German settlement of Sarepta. Now it is a historical, ethnographic and architectural museum-reserve "Old Sarepta", founded in 1989, and the Sarepta colony itself was founded by Saxon missionaries (from the city of Gerngut) in 1765, and is located on the banks of the Sarpa River, south of Tsaritsyn. Only the heart of Sarepta has been preserved — the buildings around the central square of the settlement, including today the oldest surviving building in Volgograd — the German church of 1772. The entire complex of preserved buildings, including basements and an organ mini-concert in the church can be visited with an excursion, a full ticket for all objects costs only 600 rubles.

Plan of the German colony of Sarepta

Historical and modern photo of the church (the church tower has been restored)

Literally a 15-minute walk from Sarepta, one has only to cross the canal bridge, there is a museum of the history of the construction of the Volga-Don Shipping Canal.
Crossing the channel, you can admire the gateway No. 1.

Gateway No. 1 of the Volga-Don Shipping Channel

And in the museum to get acquainted with the history of the construction of the canal; after all, the idea of its construction was a long time ago, attempts and plans back in the time of Peter I.
You can only get to the museum with an excursion, it is better to book it in advance. A visit to the museum will not take much time, less than an hour.
Not far from the museum, on the bank of the Volga, at the entrance to the Volga-Don shipping channel, there is the highest flock of Lenin in Russia, 26 meters high (it is on the 69th place among the tallest statues in the world).

Mock-up of lock No. 1 in the Museum of the History of the construction of the Volga-Don Shipping Canal

And finally — the salt lake Baskunchak and the Big Bogdo Mountain. Although the lake is located in the Astrakhan region, but it is closer to get to it from Volgograd than from Astrakhan.
About 80% of all salt in the country is extracted on Lake Baskunchak, and Mount Bolshoe Bogdo is sacred to local residents; the highest point of the Caspian lowland, 152 m above mean sea level, 173 m above the level of the neighboring lake Baskunchak. It offers a beautiful view of Lake Baskunchak.
One of the most beautiful seasons to visit is spring, when the steppe is blooming. We tried to get to it, but nature has its own rhythms and blooming fields of tulips faded two weeks before our arrival. On the Internet you can find photos and videos — an incredible sight!