The statue was designed by sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich and structural engineer Nikolai Nikitin and was declared the tallest statue in the world in 1967. At 85 m, it is the tallest statue in Europe, the tallest in the eastern hemisphere outside of Asia, and the tallest statue (excluding pedestals) of a woman in the world.

When the memorial was dedicated in 1967 it was the tallest statue in the world, measuring 85 m from the tip of its sword to the top of the plinth. The plinth measures another 2 m and is installed on a concrete foundation with a depth of 16 m. The figure measures 52 m and the sword 33 m. The monument weighs over 8,000 tons. The statue contains 5,500 tons of concrete and 2,400 tons of metal structures, and the sword itself weighs 14 tons. The rigidity of the frame is supported by 99 metal cables constantly in tension.

The sword was originally made of stainless steel, and trimmed with titanium sheets. The huge mass and high windage of the sword, due to its colossal dimensions, caused a strong swinging of the sword under the influence of wind loads, which caused excessive mechanical stress in the place where the hand holding the sword was attached to the body of the sculpture. Deformations in the design of the sword also caused the movement of sheets of titanium plating, creating the pitched sounds of thundering metal. Therefore, in 1972, the blade was replaced by another – entirely consisting of stainless steel – and in the upper part of the sword, holes were provided that made it possible to reduce its windage.

Two hundred steps, symbolizing the 200 days of the Battle of Stalingrad, lead from the bottom of the hill to the monument. The statue appears on both the current flag and coat of arms of Volgograd Oblast. Marshal of the Soviet Union Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov is buried in the area of the monument, as is famous Soviet sniper Vasily Zaytsev, who killed 225 soldiers and officers of the German army and their allies in the battle of Stalingrad.

The monument is the central part of the triptych, consisting of the monument’s Rear-front in Magnitogorsk and the “Warrior-Liberator” in Berlin’s Treptower Park. It is understood that the sword, forged by the side of the Urals, was later raised by the Motherland in Stalingrad and dropped after the Victory in Berlin.

There exists a replica of the monument in Manzhouli, China.

According to Wikipedia