Memorable Objects of the Battle of Stalingrad: from the History of the Central Department Store

Karagodina Oksana Aleksandrovna PhD in Philosophy Assoc. Prof., Department of Pedagogy, Psychology and Social Work, Volgograd State University 400062, Russia, Volgograd region, Volgograd, Universitetskiy ave., 100 karagodina@volsu.ru Other publications by this author     Litvinova Irina Nikolaevna PhD in History Assoc. Prof., Department of Pedagogy, Psychology and Social Work, Volgograd State University, 400062, Russia, Volgograd region region, Volgograd, Universitetskiy ave., 100 litvinova@volsu.ru

Danilova Elena Olegovna PhD in Sociology Assoc. Prof., Department of Pedagogy, Psychology and Social Work, Volgograd State University 400062, Russia, Volgograd region region, Volgograd, Universitetskiy ave., 100 danilovaelena@volsu.ru

The Battle of Stalingrad left a great legacy, and these are not only the names of numerous heroes who showed remarkable courage and perseverance, but also architectural objects that are monuments of historical and cultural significance. Buildings and structures, as unspoken witnesses of those events, captured the most difficult and powerful moments of hostilities. One of such iconic objects is the Central Department Store (TSUM) of Stalingrad (later Volgograd), which is often called a symbol of the Stalingrad Victory, along with the "height 102" – Mamayev Kurgan. To date, the TSUM is an element of the Fallen Fighters Square ensemble. The building belongs to historical monuments of federal significance, as well as to architectural monuments of regional significance. The TSUM gained military glory mainly due to the fact that it was in its basement that the entire staff of the headquarters of the 6th field German Army was captured, together with the commander, Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus.The choice of the topic is due to the demand for research on various aspects of local history, as well as the need for historical analysis of architectural structures for subsequent computer modeling of iconic historical and cultural objects of pre-war and military Stalingrad based on the application of 3D reconstruction methodology.

Historical and analytical material will allow to build models of architectural objects for further study. In addition, separate reconstruction models and analytical references will be used in the development of virtual excursions. The object of the analysis is the architectural heritage of provincial Russian cities. The subject of the analysis is the history of the Central Department Store as a memorial object of the Battle of Stalingrad.Systematic and interdisciplinary approaches were used as the methodological basis of the study.

The principles of scientific objectivity and historicism were applied in the work. The source base is represented by periodicals (newspapers, scientific journals), historical documents and reference publications. The scientific works of Russian authors devoted to the study of the architectural heritage of the Volga cities were analyzed. An indisputable contribution to the study of Stalingrad architecture was made by the works of Professor P.P. Oleynikov ^{[1, 2]}, in which the author examines the design processes of pre-war Stalingrad buildings and building sites, and also pays attention to the personalities of architectural business. The authors Argastseva S.A., Gurenko L.V., Zhorova E.P. also dealt with the issues of studying the historical and architectural heritage of Stalingrad ^[3]. The work of V.A. Piskotina is devoted to the analysis of the war period of the history of the Central Department Store, where the memories of Stalingrad doctors who assisted wounded Red Army soldiers in the basement of a destroyed department store in the period from late August to late September 1942 are vividly presented ^[4]. The issues of revitalization of the Central Department Store are considered in the work of Kolbasina M.A. and Barkovskaya A.Yu. ^[5].The history of TSUM began in pre-war Stalingrad.

The building was designed in 1935 by a group of young initiative architects who graduated from the Leningrad Institute of Municipal Construction Engineers – Maria Pavlovna Tsubikova (1910-1991), Ivan Pavlovich Ivashchenko (1905-1991) and Anatoly Ivanovich Chekulaev (1909-1990).The design of cities in the region was carried out by the institute "Krayprogor" (hereinafter - krayprogor), whose chief architect in the early 1930s was architect F.

Dyuzhenko ^[6]. The Stalingrad Krayprogor was organized by the decision of the meeting of the Presidium of the Lower Volga Region Executive Committee on January 17, 1932 (minutes of the meeting of the Presidium No. 53) ^{[7, p. 43]}. There were many outstanding Soviet architects working in the Stalingrad krayprogor.Tsubikova Maria Pavlovna (a native of Leningrad) worked at the Stalingrad Regional University in the period from 1934 to 1941, immediately after graduating from the architectural faculty of the Leningrad Institute of Municipal Construction Engineers.

In 1942, she was the architect of the so–called object No. 98 of the metrostroy in Stalingrad - the City Defense Committee (Stalin's bunker). After 1942, she worked in Moscow. The main works in Stalingrad were: the Central Department Store (1935), the house of Conservators at the corner of Rabocheye-Krestyanskaya St. (1936), the project of the Youth Palace (1937), the project of a summer theater for 1000 seats in the city garden (1938), a residential building at the corner of Kommunisticheskaya St. and Kievskaya St. (1939), a massive bomb shelter for residents of the city over the Tsaritsa River (1942).Ivan Pavlovich Ivashchenko, as well as M.P. Tsubikova, graduated from the Leningrad Institute of Municipal Construction Engineers and immediately after graduation was assigned to Stalingrad.

He worked as an architect in krayprogor in 1934. He participated in the design of the administrative and residential building of the Light Industry (Mestprom) together with a young, but already very successful architect V.I. Kochedamov. The building was erected in 1934-1936, it housed the Kombank, which financed all non-industrial construction of the growing city. Since the spring of 1935, I.P. Ivashchenko was a member of the city's architectural and artistic committee, which was created to guide the artistic design of the city ^{[2, p. 57]}. It is also known that since 1935 I.P. Ivashchenko headed the Architectural and Planning Workshop No. 1 at the Stalingrad City Council. He worked in Stalingrad until 1942. During this time he took part in the development of projects of Stalingrad superstructures. One of the most famous works on the superstructure is the project of the House of the Red Army, carried out jointly with the architect P.P. Kalinchenko in 1934. This is the former house of the merchant N.I. Lapshin, also known as the Yablokov house. In the 1930s, various Soviet institutions were housed here, and by 1936 this building was built on two floors according to the project of architects and turned into the house of the Red Army. It is known that "... on the fourth floor of the building were placed a nursery for 100 children and rooms for the circle work of families of the head staff. On the third floor there is a library, a reading room, a lecture hall for 250 people and offices for individual classes. On the second floor there is an auditorium for 350 people, a dance hall for 100 people, a foyer, a cafe and a billiard room. The room previously occupied by the library and gym is reserved for a children's club. All rooms of the Red Army House are decorated with statues, panels, paintings" ^{[8, p. 5]}. Thus, the main works of I.P. Ivashchenko in Stalingrad were: The House of the Red Army (1934), the Central Department Store (1935), the superstructure of the buildings of the main post office (1936), the House of Books (1937), the House of Light Industry (1934-1936), the House of the Regional Executive Committee at the corner of Pervomayskaya St. and Lomonosov St. (1937), the conversion of basements of houses for bomb shelters (with the beginning combat operations).

Anatoly Ivanovich Chekulaev started working in Stalingrad in 1936, where he was an architect until the outbreak of the war, then left and worked in different cities of the USSR for more than 20 years. It is known that in 1960 he returned to Stalingrad and worked here until retirement. The main projects in Stalingrad were: the Central Department Store (1935), the square on the square of Fallen Fighters (about 1936), the embankment of the second stage (1936), the Youth Palace (1937).In pre–war Stalingrad, the most iconic, landmark buildings were located in the city center, on the main square - the Fallen Fighters.

It was the construction of the Central Department Store that completed the formation of the ensemble of the Fallen Fighters Square in the late 30s. The construction of the building, designed back in 1935, was completed only in 1938. Construction work was repeatedly postponed, including due to a shortage of skilled labor, equipment and materials. In 1936, the newspaper Stalingradskaya Pravda published a note that due to the lack of equipment for stores, carpentry workshops had to be organized in the basements of the department store, where counters, other furniture and equipment were professionally made ^[9].Initially, the draft plan included the presence of two special projections with columns, which were to be located on the sides of the central entrance at the height of the fourth floor.

They were supposed to place sculptures of people with a height of 2.5 meters. However, later the project was finalized – they decided to abandon the projections with sculptures, but beautiful railings with balusters were added, which were located on the second and attic floors ^[10].In 1938, the TSUM was completed.

The grand opening took place on June 9. The Stalingrad department store was considered one of the most beautiful in the pre-war USSR and soon gained the status of an Exhibition. The building was made in the style of constructivism with elements of historicism, had a corner location and was located at the intersection of the Fallen Fighters Square with Ostrovsky Street. Thanks to this location, a beautiful rounded central entrance was erected. The facade of the building was decorated with a beautiful rotunda. The building looked harmoniously and beautifully next to the House of the Red Army, which was located opposite (across Lomonosovskaya Street) and also had a rounded facade. The small wing of the department store adjoined the Intourist Hotel and overlooked the Fallen Fighters Square.At that time, there were 21 department stores operating in the USSR.

The Stalingrad Central Department Store was among the most advanced, and in terms of its indicators was equated to the 6 best in the Union. Some products presented in the store (model shoes, etc.) could be ordered only in four stores in the country. About 500 employees worked in the store. The first three floors of the building were commercial, the fourth – mainly administrative. Haberdashery goods (scarves, gloves, bags, ties, etc.), cultural goods, as well as small goods for every day were presented on the ground floor. On the second floor there was a "Children's World", where children and parents were offered a wide range of goods. On the third floor, customers could choose an impressive assortment of fabrics, silks, furs.  On the fourth floor there were administrative offices, as well as a mother and child room and a red corner. The basements of the building were equipped for storage rooms and various workshops, and a restaurant was supposed to be organized on the extreme attic floor, since it had a panoramic view of the square. There were two passenger elevators and one freight elevator in the department store. There were also ticket offices in the store. There were buffets and kiosks on each floor.The long-awaited opening of the Stalingrad Department Store has become a significant event for the citizens.

On the first day of work, almost 18 thousand people visited it, goods were sold for more than 500 thousand rubles. It is also known that in the first year of operation, sales amounted to 50 million rubles, in 1940 – almost 67 million, which was a significant success and over-fulfillment of the plan ^[10].The department store was a success.

The store provided convenient, rare services at that time – it sent goods by mail, and employees even went to enterprises and organizations to offer commercially available products on the spot. A variety of department store advertisements were printed in the local press. In addition, any visitor to the store could leave a question of interest in the offer book, and the answer to it was given by employees in a special information message over the speakerphone 4 times a day. It was also reported over the speakerphone about the replenishment of the assortment of stores and departments and the price of goods ^{[11, p. 252]}.Due to the great popularity and demand from the residents of the city, it was decided to open a branch of the Central Department Store.

So, on January 16, 1941, a branch was opened near the central market, in which 350 people worked. The main store became known as "Branch No. 1", and the new one – "Branch No. 2".The Stalingrad department store has been successfully operating for several years.

However, with the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, everything changed. During the Battle of Stalingrad, the TSUM building was partially destroyed, as heavy fighting was going on. So, during an air raid on August 23, 1942, the upper floor was completely destroyed and the facade of the store was slightly touched. In general, the building has survived. Since August 30, 1942, in the right wing, in the basement, there is an advanced medical center, created a little earlier by order of the head of the sanitary service of the division, a military doctor of the 2nd rank A.I. Yuryev for the purpose of collecting and evacuating the wounded to Krasnaya Sloboda. The medical center was formed as a non-standard unit of the 272nd regiment of the 10th Infantry Division of the NKVD. The military paramedic B.P. Perepechaev was in charge of the collection point.

Initially, the medical staff had vehicles at their disposal, on which fighters who received assistance were brought to the crossing. However, by September 4, the vehicles were destroyed and the wounded were sent to the Volga on foot. Groups of 30-40 people were organized, who, accompanied by nurses, went to the river. When the German troops got close to the central part of the city, the movement of the wounded was carried out exclusively at night (from September 9). The conditions were very difficult, there was not enough food and medicines, and we had to use improvised materials that remained in the Central Department Store as medical equipment. It is known that on September 14, the medical center received an order to leave the department store building and be distributed among the divisions of the division, since on that day the Hitlerite troops launched a new decisive offensive ^{[4, p. 191]}. The doctors showed remarkable courage and heroism. They worked under the protection of Red Army soldiers with minor injuries, as the Germans attempted to seize the building. Enemy troops threw grenades at those inside and tried to break through from the side entrance. It got to the point that military doctors were forced to repel attacks in hand-to-hand (paramedics D.F. Podlesnyuk and P.I. Ivasenko). However, the department store was soon surrounded. A German hospital is located in the basement. Even later, the headquarters of the 71st Division of the Wehrmacht was located in the basements of the department store. The 13th Guards Division held the front line against them, occupying positions closer to the Volga and the houses of specialists ^{[12, p. 128]}. In January 1943, the department store's basements were occupied by the headquarters of the 6th Army and its commander, Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus, where he was captured on January 31 by soldiers of the 38th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 64th Army under the command of I.V. Burmakov.After the war, they decided to restore the dilapidated, but still surviving building.

So, in 1949, the department store was restored according to the project of architect I.K. Beldovsky. The restored TSUM has retained its original architectural appearance. In 1965, a glass extension was made to the building. Such changes were caused by a change in the shape of the main square.In 2012, the basement of the department store was transferred to the operational management of the museum-reserve "Battle of Stalingrad", as part of which the museum "Memory" was opened here in the same year ^[13].

In 2017, the Central Department Store was transferred from federal ownership to the ownership of the region.Currently, the department store is not a retail space, but performs exclusively museum functions.

Being a museum, the basement of the Central Department Store now looks almost the same as it did back in 1943. Elements of communications and construction details are still preserved. In addition to permanent and temporary exhibitions in the museum "Memory", reconstructions of the events of the Battle of Stalingrad are held. It is assumed that after large-scale repairs are carried out, a large museum and exhibition center will be opened in the building in 2023. Thus, the history of the Stalingrad TSUM preserves the great past.

Being a historical and architectural monument, the department store complements the ensemble of the main city square. The analysis will allow recreating the historical and architectural appearance of the building as an integral element of the Fallen Fighters Square for further construction of 3D models and development of virtual excursions, thereby contributing to the preservation and popularization of cultural and historical heritage.