On the square of the fallen fighters there is a unique natural monument of the Battle of Stalingrad - Poplar of Victory. At its base is a memorial plaque, the inscription on which reads: "Natural-historical monument. This poplar carried his life through a great battle. "During the Battle of Stalingrad, fierce battles took place on this square. From September 15 to September 27, 1942, the soldiers of the 13th Guards Division held defense here and fought for our freedom. Each centimeter of the earth was burnt by the fire of attacks, everything around was destroyed by explosions of shells and bombs.

In the spring of 43, clearing the central square of the city from the debris of the buildings and the consequences of the devastating, barbaric war, they discovered a living small tree. Among the ashes and ruins of the city, only this poplar survived. In the same spring, the poplar turned green, symbolizing the triumph of life over death. He was a living witness to the horrors of the great war.

After the end of the Great Patriotic War, in 1945, poplar witnessed the first Victory Parade on the Square of the Fallen Fighters. The tree became not only a symbol of courage and fortitude, but also a symbol of the Great Stalingrad victory.In 1975, a poplar was erected with a memorial plaque.

The Stalingrad poplar is protected by the Law. The decision was made by the Small Council of the Volgograd Regional Council of People's Deputies on February 25, 1993.Today, as a living witness of history, the Stalingrad poplar is of great importance in the military-patriotic education of the younger generation. Residents and visitors of the city come to a tree to lay flowers to its foot.

According to the specialists of the Forestry Department, the legendary poplar is more than 80 years old. However, some Volgograd local historians speculate on the post-war origin of the tree, relying on pre-war photographs and articles from the newspaper Stalingrad Pravda. According to these materials, in 1936, young trees were planted on the renewed area of ​​the Fallen Fighters, who died in the battles of 1942-1943.However, in 1943 new trees were planted, and until 1956 the area of ​​the Fallen Fighters remained pre-war. When the architect Yefim Iosifovich Levitan prepared a project for the reconstruction of the park, he decided to leave already grown poplar as a reminder of the pre-war planning. So, discussions about the time of poplar planting are still carried out.

To preserve the symbol of Victory in the Battle of Stalingrad for future generations, in June 2013 specialists from the Volgograd Botanical Garden took about 20 buds from the tree, sprouted them, calling the project symbolically - "Topol Pobedy". And already in 2015 two-meter seedlings were planted in all cities - heroes of the Great Patriotic War.

In these cities they were planted by veterans of the Great Patriotic War and volunteers. Together with the seedlings, each city received a certificate of conformity from the Volgograd Botanical Garden and a memorial tablet with a QR code, through which it is possible to get acquainted with the history of the Stalingrad poplar. According to the employees of the Volgograd Botanical Garden, the crowns of these poplars will completely replicate the crown of the Stalingrad poplar.

In the spring of 2017, on the eve of the Victory Day celebration, at the foot of Mamaev Kurgan, the Alley of Russia stretches. A memorial sign was erected on it in the form of a triangular prism, inside of which, one of the seedlings, descendants of the Stalingrad poplar, was planted. On the faces of the prism symbolically depicts a tree - two hands with open palms - this is the trunk of a tree, and a lot of palms are a fluffy crown. As soon as the seedling gets stronger, the upper part of the structure is dismantled, freeing up space for free growth of the crown.

Stalingrad poplar got a new life in its young seedlings - descendants. He will live in the memory and hearts of Volgograd, remaining symbols of courage, courage and fortitude of our victorious people!