Volgograd - Economy, Education, Sister cities

48°45N 44°30E, pop (2000e) 1 200 000. Capital city of Volgogradskaya oblast, SE European Russia, on R Volga; E terminus of the Volga–Don Canal; founded 1589; largely destroyed in World War 2; airport; railway; aluminium, oil, oil refining, clothing, footwear, leatherwork, tractors, foodstuffs.

Coat of Arms	Map
Data
District:	Northern Caucasus
Subdivision:	Volgograd Oblast
Location:	48°42′N 44°31′E
Area:	565 km²
Population:	1,011,417 (2002 Census)
Population density:	1,900 persons/km²
Altitude:	0-102 m
Postal code:	400001-400138
Dialing code:	+7 8442
License plate:	34

Volgograd (Russian: Волгогра́д (help·info)), formerly called Tsaritsyn (Russian: Цари́цын (help·info)) (1598–1925) and Stalingrad (Russian: Сталингра́д (help·info)) (1925–1961) is a city in and the administrative center of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. (See also List of places named after Stalin.)

Under Stalin, the city became heavily industrialized and was developed as a centre of heavy industry and trans-shipment by rail and river. During World War II (Great Patriotic War), the city of Stalingrad became the center of the Battle of Stalingrad, the costliest battle in human history, as well as the pivotal turning point in the war against Germany.

For the heroism shown during the battle, Stalingrad was awarded the title Hero City in 1945, and King George VI of the United Kingdom awarded the citizens of Stalingrad a jewelled sword in appreciation of the bravery that they had shown.

In 1961, the city's name was changed to Volgograd ("Volga City") as part of Nikita Khrushchev's programme of destalinization.

Economy

Modern Volgograd is still an important industrial city.

Education

Educational institutions include Volgograd State University, Volgograd State Technical University (former Volgograd Polytechnical University), Volgograd Medical Academy, Volgograd Academy of State Service, Volgograd Academy of Industry, and Volgograd State Pedagogical University.

Sister cities

As of 2006 Volgograd had 19 sister cities:

Montreal, Quebec, Canada Coventry, England (1943) Ostrava, Czech Republic (1948) Kemi, Finland (1953) Liège, Belgium (1959) Dijon, France (1959) Turin, Italy (1961) Port Said, Egypt (1962) Chennai, India (1966) Hiroshima, Japan (1972) Cologne, Germany (1988) Chemnitz, Germany (1988) Cleveland, United States (1990) Toronto, Canada (1991) Jilin, China (1994) Chengdu, China (1998) Yerevan, Armenia (1998) Kruševac, Serbia (1999) Rousse, Bulgaria (2001)

A number of communities in France have streets or avenues named after Stalingrad, hence Place Stalingrad in Paris and the eponymous Paris Métro station of Stalingrad.