Tours and excursions of Volgograd → City tours in Volgograd

Tour to Rossoshka: German and Soviet military cemeteries

Tour to Rossoshka: German and Soviet military cemeteries

Tour to Rossoshka reconciliation ensemble in 35 km outside the city is an impressive memorial of the two former enemies now seeking for reconciliation: Soviet and German military cemeteries. Here you will see the rest of German blindages, trenches, bunkers, craters from explosions and would also have chance to find some souvenirs.  

Near the village of Big Rossoshka in 1942-1943 there were fierce battles. Here died many thousands of Soviet and German soldiers. August  On 23^rd August 1998 was opened Soviet military memorial cemetery and on the 15^th of May 1999 in front of the Soviet one was opened a fraternal cemetery of German soldiers.

The central figure of the Soviet cemetery is a 6-meter high concrete sculpture "Mourning Mother" by sculptor Sergei Shcherbakov. The sculpture is a stylized figure of a woman holding a bell over his head with a torn tongue.

May 9, 1999 3-foot bronze replica of the monument is set in London. In 2001, "Mourning mother", but with "speaking " bell is set in an international cemetery near Berlin.

From the right and left of the monument are located symmetrical 300 individual and 12 mass graves in which lie the remains of over 25,000 Soviet soldiers.

Cemetery of German soldiers consists of 2 parts. In the first part having a rectangular shape, lie the remains of 1,639 soldiers. This is the original cemetery was established in 1942. The second part takes the form of a large bowl with a diameter of 120 meters.

This bowl is buried more than 55 thousands German soldiers and officers. Their names are written on the concrete ring surrounding a common grave. Next to this mass grave -granite cubes, with inscribed names of 156,000 soldiers and officers who are considered missing.

On August 1942 German troops came close to Stalingrad and on 23^rd August group of 35^th Division and 169^th Tank Brigade moved to counterattack near Samofalovka settlement trying to connect to the units of 14^th Panzer Corps which rapidly broke through to Volga river and were cut off. During the offensive the Germans came to the Big Rossoshka, where was defending 87^th Infantry Division of 62^nd Army. During the heavy fighting Soviet soldiers managed to hold the Nazis for a whole week. During these battles the villages Big and Small Rossoshka were turned into the ashes. 

On January 1943 already surrounded freezing German forces had been defending their 2 airfields which were situated in this area. And again there were heavy fightings and again from both sides were innumerable losses. 

The price includes:

• tour program;
• all entrance fees and taxes;
• transportation services;
• skilled guide-interpreter (English/other languages on request).