The Motherland Calls!

The huge allegorical statue of the Motherland (full name "The Motherland Calls!" or "Rodina Mat' Zovyot!") on the top of the Mamayev Kurgan heights overlooking the city of Volgograd (former Stalingrad). The monument, designed by Yevgeny Vuchetich, is part of memorial complex to the Battle of Stalingrad and consists of a concrete sculpture, 52 meters tall, and 85 meters from the feet to the tip of the 27 meter sword, dominating the skyline of the city of Stalingrad (later renamed Volgograd). At the time of installation in 1967 it was the largest free-standing sculpture in the world. The construction uses concrete except for the stainless-steel blade of the sword. The statue is held on its plinth solely by its own weight. The statue is evocative of the classic Greek representations of Nike, in particular the flowing drapery, similar to that of the Nike of Samothrace.