Arch of Lock No. 13, Volga–Don Canal

The arch of the Volga–Don Canal in Pyatimorsk, Kalach district of the Volgograd region, crowns Lock No. 13, the last lock on the Don side of the canal. The control building of the lower lock head was designed as a triumphal arch and serves as the canal's gateway from the Don; a matching arch stands at Lock No. 1 on the Volga side.

The 101 km Volga–Don Shipping Canal was built in 1948–1952 as one of the so-called Great Construction Projects of Communism. It joins the Volga and the Don where the two rivers come closest, links the Caspian with the Sea of Azov, the Black Sea and the open ocean, and forms part of the deep-water waterway system of European Russia. The architecture of the canal's structures, this arch included, was designed by a team led by Leonid Polyakov; the decoration of the lock was drawn up by the end of 1951 and the canal opened in 1952.

Built in the Stalinist Empire style, the arch commemorates the victory at Stalingrad and the heroes of the Second World War. Its facade carries reliefs of soldiers from three branches, infantry, tank crews and cavalry, and stone banners stand along the top. The inscriptions read "Glory to the victorious Soviet Army" on the Don side and "Glory to our great Motherland" on the side of the Karpovka Reservoir.

The lock has a single chamber 145 m long and 18 m wide. Next to its exit stands Yevgeny Vuchetich's monument "Link-up of the Fronts", with a stone memorial cross to Saints Cyril and Methodius at its foot.

To get there, follow Lenin Street, the village's main road, until it ends at the canal. The arch is easy to see from the bank and from the excursion boats that pass through the lock.