Volgograd, formerly Stalingrad, is a city in southwest Russia, on the western bank of the Volga River. It was the site of WWII’s Battle of Stalingrad, commemorated by a huge statue, The Motherland Calls, part of the hilltop Mamayev Kurgan memorial complex. The Panorama Museum has a 360-degree painting of the battle, as well as weapons and artifacts. To the south, a large arch marks the Lenin Volga-Don Shipping Canal.