Volga Hydroelectric Station, Hydroelectric power station in Volgograd Oblast, Russia
The Volga Hydroelectric Station is a power plant and bridge over the Volga River in Volgograd Oblast, located between Volgograd and the town of Volzhsky. The concrete barrier stretches roughly five kilometers wide, while the reservoir extends upstream for several dozen kilometers.
Construction began in 1950 under Stalin's directive and mobilized thousands of enterprises from across the Soviet realm. The facility was commissioned in 1961 and marked the peak of the Soviet electrification campaign along the Volga.
The complex is named after Vladimir Lenin and was designed as a symbol of Soviet modernization. A road now runs along the top of the dam, linking Volgograd and Volzhsky and used daily by local residents.
The dam is visible from outside and lies directly on the highway connecting both cities. Visitors can see the large reservoir upstream and the sprawling facility from the riverbank when the weather is clear.
For three years this was the largest power facility in the world and remains the largest hydroelectric plant in Europe to this day. The dam stretches so far that you can barely see the opposite bank when crossing it.
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