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Memory of Heroism
© HSE UNIVERSITY
Representatives of all HSE campuses—Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, St Petersburg, and Perm—took part in the trip. HSE University students explored historical sites connected with the Battle of Stalingrad, laid flowers at memorials, visited museums, and met eyewitnesses to the events. The excursion was organised as part of the university’s patriotic education programme for young people, implemented jointly with the Student Initiative Support Centre (SISC).
The first stop on the route was Mamayev Kurgan. The students walked up the poplar-lined avenue to the foot of the statue The Motherland Calls!—the central element of the 'To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad' memorial complex on Mamayev Kurgan—and laid flowers at the Eternal Flame in the Hall of Military Glory. It was here, on Height 102, that fierce fighting took place in 1942–1943.
First-year student of the Bachelor’s in Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication in Business, Faculty of Computer Science, Economics, and Social Sciences, HSE University–Perm
‘This trip to Volgograd gave me the opportunity not only to see historical places, but also to meet students from Moscow, St Petersburg, and Nizhny Novgorod. We often feel separated from the other campuses, but here all barriers disappeared: from the very first day we spoke to one another like old friends.
The most important part for me was the social aspect: discussions, exchanging experiences, and heartfelt conversations helped us get to know one another better and feel a real sense of unity. Volgograd is a city of immense historical significance, where you feel an especially strong connection with the past and understand how important it is to preserve the memory of the events that shaped our country. Such trips are important not only for broadening one’s horizons; they prove that HSE is one united team, with each campus having its own unique identity, yet together we become stronger.’
At the Battle of Stalingrad panorama museum, the delegation saw Russia’s largest panoramic painting, The Defeat of the Nazi German Forces at Stalingrad. The exhibition includes authentic relics: General Vasily Glazkov’s greatcoat bearing 160 bullet holes, a sniper rifle, military banners of army units, and the personal belongings of commanders. Next to the museum stand the ruins of Gerhardt’s Mill, preserved as a reminder of the war, and Pavlov’s House—an ordinary residential building defended by Soviet soldiers for 58 days.
Third-year student of the Bachelor’s in Law, Faculty of Law
‘The trip was the most memorable event of this spring. Everyone should visit Volgograd at least once in their lifetime, and I am grateful to the university for the opportunity to do so on the eve of 9 May. It was the first patriotic trip and the first trip to bring together participants from all four campuses—an event that truly demonstrates how deeply students care. No film or history lecture could ever convey the emotions inspired by Mamayev Kurgan, the Battle of Stalingrad panorama, and Pavlov’s House. It is important to remember the heroism of the Soviet people. And HSE remembers.’
The second day of the trip was devoted to memorial sites in the outskirts of Volgograd. At the Rossoshki Military Memorial Cemetery, opened in 1997, thousands of soldiers who had long been listed as missing in action are buried.
At the Soldiers’ Field memorial complex, HSE students visited the monument ‘The Girl with a Letter.’ Nearby stands a triangular stone slab engraved with the authentic text of a front-line letter written by political officer Dmitry Petrakov to his daughter.
During a boat trip along the Volga, the students saw the hero city from the water. The sunset over the great Russian river was one of the most memorable moments of the journey for many participants.
Andrey Balanov
‘The trip to Volgograd was a true revelation for me. I had long wanted to visit this sacred place for every Russian citizen—a city whose name is forever inscribed in the history of our country. When you stand on Mamayev Kurgan, you realise the price of victory… These impressions inspire pride in one’s country and gratitude to the heroes who defended our freedom. Many thanks to the organisers for this important and memorable trip!’
The third day was dedicated to living history. The Stalingrad Bunker museum features weapon replicas, military uniforms, and reconstructions of post-war urban life. Visitors are allowed to touch all the exhibits, enabling them quite literally to come into contact with artefacts from wartime.
The highlight of the programme was the immersive excursion ‘Touch.’ Participants did not simply watch a performance: they moved through old city buildings, touching the walls and, through them, discovering the story of a young man whose life was shattered by the outbreak of war.
The visit concluded at the Children of Stalingrad museum, where HSE students met people whose childhoods fell during the war years. They shared their memories and emotions, speaking about how they survived in the besieged city.
Third-year student of the Bachelor’s in Media Communications, Faculty of Creative Industries
‘I suspected that Volgograd would leave a mark on everyone. I photographed not only The Motherland Calls! and other significant places, but also the emotions of the students. I would also like to highlight the meeting at the Children of Stalingrad museum. This part of the programme proved to be the most moving. I was holding my camera, yet several times I caught myself forgetting about it because the stories told by living witnesses of the war were so powerful. For me, this trip was a reminder that history exists not only in textbooks, but also in the people and places we can visit today.
The team from the HSE Student Initiative Support Centre and the students themselves were all full of energy and sincere empathy. I hope such trips will continue to help preserve the memory of the heroism of the past.’
The excursion to Volgograd showed that history is not confined to the pages of textbooks. It lives in every stone of Mamayev Kurgan, in every letter, and in every glance of a child of war. Yet the main discovery of the trip was something else entirely. Students from Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, St Petersburg, and Perm returned home not simply with vivid impressions—they left with the feeling that HSE is not four separate cities, but one family united by a shared history, shared gratitude and shared memory. The participants returned to their campuses with a deeper understanding of the scale of the tragedy and the greatness of the Soviet soldiers’ heroism—and with new friends whom the road to Volgograd had brought into their lives.
Second-year student of the Bachelor’s in Marketing and Market Analytics, HSE Graduate School of Business
‘The extracurricular trip to Volgograd gave me valuable experience and was a truly important and memorable event. It was especially meaningful that we were able to visit these memorial sites on the eve of May 9. Volgograd is a city with a great history, and it is impossible to be unaffected by it when you’re there. The trip had a special depth to it. We were not simply learning facts about the past—we were literally coming into contact with the places where fierce battles once took place, where people died, and where history was written. The landmarks, the atmosphere of the city, and the meetings with veterans and children of Stalingrad made a profound impression on me. The experience prompted me to reflect anew on the price of peace, courage, and memory.’
Team of the HSE Student Initiative Support Team
‘For us, the trip to Volgograd became far more than an excursion—it was a profound emotional experience. We wanted to show the participants the living history of heroism, and in the hero city we succeeded: every corner here breathes the truth of war and the greatness of victory. Seeing the students’ eyes light up, watching them begin truly to understand the meaning of the words ‘memory’ and ‘pride’—that is the main outcome of our tour.’
