The Soviet victory at Stalingrad is widely held to be the turning point of World War II, leading to the destruction of the German army in the East.

When Vladimir Lenin died in 1924, Joseph Stalin took charge as the General Secretary; Tsaritsyn was renamed Stalingrad in honour of his role in the defence of the city.

[20] At the turn of the nineteenth century, Tsaritsyn was essentially a frontier town; almost all of the structures were wooden, with neither paved roads nor utilities.

The most permanent mark he left on the city was the Holy Spirit Monastery (Russian: Свято-Духовский монастырь), built in 1909, parts of which still stand today.

[19] In light of the explosive population growth, the lack of political action on sanitation and housing, the multiple epidemics and the presence of volatile personalities, it is no surprise that the lower Volga region was a hotbed of revolutionary activity and civil unrest.

However, in June 1919 the White Armed Forces of South Russia, under the command of General Denikin, captured Tsaritsyn, and held it until January 1920.

The Commission convinced local municipal authorities that the building was in need of major repairs, was unsafe and much too small for the over 800 worshippers who regularly attended for high holidays.

On January 31, 1943, Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus, the Sixth Army's commander, surrendered; by February 2, with the elimination of straggling German troops, the Battle of Stalingrad was over.

[28] A number of cities around the world (especially those that had suffered similar wartime devastation) established sister, friendship, and twinning links (see list below) in the spirit of solidarity or reconciliation.

One of the first "sister city" projects was that established during World War II between Stalingrad and Coventry in the United Kingdom; both had suffered extensive devastation from aerial bombardment.

[citation needed] In 2010, Russian monarchists and leaders of the Orthodox organizations demanded that the city should take back its original name of Tsaritsyn, but the authorities rejected their proposal.

This was short-lived, as in March 2012, Volgograd residents voted for relevant amendments to the city charter to reinstate the direct mayoral elections.

[8] Although the city was on an important trade route for moving timber, grain, cotton, cast iron, fish, salt and linseed oil, the economic reach of the Volga was relatively small.

Rail links from the Volgograd railway station include Moscow; Saratov; Astrakhan; the Donbas region of Ukraine; the Caucasus and Siberia.

This complex includes the Hall of Military Glory, a circular building housing an eternal flame and bearing plaques with the names of the fallen heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad.

Across from this Hall, there is a statue called Mother's Sorrow, which depicts a grieving woman holding a fallen soldier in her arms.

[citation needed] The Panorama Museum of the Battle of Stalingrad is a large cultural complex that sits on the shore of the Volga river.

[38] Neoclassical in style, the building facade is designed like a Roman temple, with six Tuscan columns topped by capitals decorated with stars.

The entryway interior features a mural of Stalin in the white uniform of a naval admiral, surrounded by lilies and doves, more symbols of peace.

[40] The planetarium hosts scientific and educational lectures, provides Fulldome shows, has scheduled tours, features daytime and nighttime observations and runs an astronomy club for children.

[44] After the collapse of the USSR in 1991, the Diocese of Volgograd was established and the military began the process of transferring what was left of the Holy Spirit Monastery back to the church.

On its maiden voyage, the Saint Vladimir reached Astrakhan in the south and Saratov in the north; traveling an 800 kilometer (~500 mile) span of the Volga River.

The Saint Innocent was mobile for four months of the year, operating mostly on the Don River, and spent the rest of the time moored in Pyatimorsk, providing a semi permanent church for that rural locality.

[47] Due to the success of the Saint Innocent, the ACN launched the creation of a second floating church, this time built atop an old barge.

Christened the Saint Nicholas, in honor of the original floating church built in 1910, it was moored at a yacht club in Volgograd for several years, serving as a place of worship for passing ships crews.

[47] All of these floating churches were inspired by the original; a retrofitted tug-passenger steamer, which ran between Kazan and Astrakhan, named the Saint Nicholas.

[48] In fact, a 1903 tourist guide to Tsaritsyn warns that almost all of the buildings in the town are wooden and makes no mention of this structure, so an 1888 construction date is highly unlikely.

[49] The original building barely survived the Battle of Stalingrad; it was in ruins as late as 1997, with broken windows and gaping holes made by Nazi bombs.

With the help of multiple fundraising campaigns and generous donors, including Edward Shifrin and Alex Schneider, the synagogue was restored.

In addition to regular religious services, it also hosts a soup kitchen, a Jewish day school and an overnight children's camp.