OH MOTHER WHERE ART THOU?

A“did you know” fact in honour of Mother’s Day: the world’s tallest statue of a woman is in Russia — and here she is, in all her shamelessly dramatic, unapologetically curvaceous, take-no-prisoners glory. Titled The Motherland Calls, this splendid 85m specimen is the epitome of defiance, brandishing her sword on a hill overlooking the former city of Stalingrad. Her backstory is a sombre one, though, as she is the pièce de résistance in a wider complex of statues and public spaces that commemorate World War 2’s Battle of Stalingrad. In this five-month clash from August 1942 to February 1943, the Soviet Union fought Germany and its allies for control of the city. Ultimately, Russia held the fort, and the battle’s end was a crushing blow to Nazi Germany and a turning point in the war — but only after the longest and bloodiest battle of the entire conflict, with an estimated 2-million casualties.

The Motherland Calls is a monument to the people who fell (nearly 35,000 soldiers are buried below the base), a tribute to human endurance, and a call from a nation to its people to never surrender.

All in all, she took over eight years to build — from May 1959 till October 1967. For a few years after that, she was the tallest statue in the world.

She has since been eclipsed a few times over, most recently by the unveiling in 2018 of the latest world-record holder, India’s 182m Statue of Unity.

In second place now is the 128m Spring Temple Buddha in Lushan, China.

Our fearsome lady is in fact at no 9 on the list now but remains the tallest statue in Europe. She also happens to wield the world’s largest sword — it’s 33m long and made entirely of stainless steel.

In total, the statue is 85m tall from the tip of the sword to the top of the plinth. The female figure alone stands at 51.8m. If you haven’t noticed already, those tiny dots of colour at her feet are people.

To stand a chance of winning R500, tell us the name by which the former Stalingrad is now known. E-mail travelquiz@sundaytimes.co.za before noon on May 12. Last week’s winner is Zubeida Bham of Lenasia. The correct answer was the Matterhorn.