The Motherland Calls is the compositional centre of the monument-ensemble "Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad" on Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd, Russia. The statue is designed in the Soviet style of socialist realism. It was designed by sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich and structural engineer Nikolai Nikitin, and declared the tallest statue in the world in 1967. At 85 m (279 ft), it is the tallest statue in Europe, the tallest in the eastern hemisphere outside of Asia and the tallest statue (excluding pedestals) of a woman in the world.

The work of sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich and engineer Nikolai Nikitin is an 85-metre (279 ft) figure of a woman stepping forward with a raised sword. The statue is an allegorical image of the Motherland, which calls on its sons and daughters to repulse the enemy and return to the attack.

The Motherland Calls is highly complex from an engineering point of view, due to its characteristic posture with a sword raised high in the right hand and the left hand extended in a calling gesture. The sculpture is hollow. The technology behind the hollow statue is based on a combination of prestressed concrete with wire ropes, a solution which can also be found in another work of Nikitin's, the Ostankino Tower in Moscow. Inside, the entire statue consists of separate cells or chambers, like rooms in a building. The concrete walls of the sculpture are 25–30 cm (9.8–11.8 in) thick.

The construction of the monument was started in May 1959 and completed on 15 October 1967.[3] It was the tallest sculpture in the world at the time of creation. Restoration work on the main monument of the monument complex was done in 1972, when the sword was replaced by another entirely consisting of stainless steel.

It is most likely that Vuchetich sculpted the figure from the discus thrower Nina Dumbadze, and the face from his wife Vera. According to various sources, Valentina Izotova or Ekaterina Grebneva posed for the sculpture. It is also believed that the statue has parallels with the figure of the "Marseillaise" on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and that the statue's pose was inspired by the statue of Nike of Samothrace.

At night, the sculpture is illuminated by floodlights. It was specially illuminated as part of a light show titled "The Light of the Great Victory", marking the 72nd anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany.

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  • Kresimir [they/them]
    ·
    2 years ago

    Is it just me or is the cool zone feelinh significantly more real in the last few weeks?

    • Cromalin [she/her]
      ·
      2 years ago

      idk about cool zone, i'm more just completely blackpilled about everything