Vyborg Castle

Vyborg was founded in 1293, the population 80.1 thousand people. Distance from SaintPetersburg 160 km.

Vyborg the unique and the only Western European city with a history dating back to the deep Middle Ages. Over the 700-year history of the city many times changed his nationality. Significant influence on architecture has had German, Swedish, Finnish and Russian culture. Since 1811, Vyborg is a part of Russia. The city has many sites of tourist interest.

The historical center of Vyborg is small it is all located on a narrow promontory between the Vyborg Bay and the Bay of shielding. Gulf and Bay are connected by a narrow strait, through which a bridge, and in the Strait on the island is Vyborg Castle. Vyborg Castle the most interesting sights of the city. The castle was founded in 1293 by Swedish crusader Torgils Knutsson, after several times rebuilt, but in general almost did not change its appearance. Tower Olaf height of 45 meters the best viewing platform of the city. It is perfectly visible the entire center, panorama Annenkrona and the Gulf. At the foot of the tower is a tiny Forge courtyard, from which you can get into the National History Museum and Historical rekonstruktorsky center. The Center is known for its knights' armor, which you can try and take pictures.

The width of protection zone of one crossing is 200 m: 100 up the stream and down the stream from the crossing. When there are more than one crossing at a distance less than 200 m, the general protection zone is shown on the map with its limits in 100 m up the stream and down the stream from the extreme crossings.

The first information about the Russian Karelian settlement on the territory of the contemporary city of Vyborg dates back to the 11th century. In 1293, Swedish ruler Torkel Knutson, using the quarrels between Russian princes to his advantage, invaded the Vyborg bay with a large army and fleet, and built a stone fortress on a small Volovyi Island. The main tower named after St. Olaf rose above the central part of the island to the height of over 70 meters. The oldest structure in the city, the Vyborg Castle, had previously consisted of a tall rectangular tower and a powerfully armed rampart. In 1561 -1564 the upper floors of the tower were taken down and built anew from brick, and the castle was joined with the town by an underground and underwater passage. In 1606-1608 an entrance arch was made at the entrance to the castle, and the commandant of the castle had his apartment in the upper part of the arch. In the 15th century Vyborg was a typical medieval town with guilds and workshops, a town court and town council. Several old buildings remind us of the architectural look of Vyborg at that time, including the Black Brothers Monastery church (built in 1318), and a Clock Tower (1494). The old buildings were reconstructed several times over the centuries and new buildings were added. As a result, in Vyborg we have the only medieval castle ensemble of Western European type in Russia.

Trying to return back the territories of the Karelian isthmus, in 1294 and 1322 Novgorod troops approached Vyborg. They were unable, however, to capture the city. In accordance with a peace agreement with the Swedes, signed in Oreshek in 1323, Vyborg and the surrounding lands were left under the jurisdiction of Sweden. Back then the Vyborg Castle was considered one of the most powerful fortresses on the shores of the Baltic. The fortress consisted of the castle and two rows of ramparts guarding the entrance to the city. Novgorod and Russian Karelian troops had tried to assault the Swedish fortress numerous times. In 1412, soon after the Swedes destroyed the town of Tiversk on the Vuoksa, Novgorod troops undertook a large expedition to Vyborg and burnt down the town's trading quarters and the nearby Swedish settlements. In 1495 an army of about 20 000 Russians commanded by Prince Daniil Schenya besieged Vyborg. During the assault, the Swedes, trying to save the fortress from the imminent takeover, exploded one of the towers, where gunpowder was being stored. The explosion, referred to in chronicles as the Vyborg Thunder, forced the assailants to retreat.

In response to Swedish assaults the military leaders of Ivan the Terrible besieged Vyborg again in 1555. Vyborg trade quarters had been in Russian hands numerous times, but the castle, located on an island, remained inaccessible for land troops acting without the support of a fleet.

Frequent attacks by the Swedes, who tried to close off the access to the Baltic Sea for the Russians, forced Peter the Great to undertake a large military expedition to Vyborg in the fall of 1706. However, as 18 000 soldiers headed by the Czar himself arrived at the fortress, they found out that they could not assault the fortress without the support of a fleet. A new Vyborg campaign was undertaken in March 1710, soon after the Poltava victory.

The obsidional corps commanded by General-Admiral F. A. Apraksin headed to Vyborg from Kronstadt, walking on the ice of the Finnish Bay. In May, as soon as the ice disappeared, Russian ships approached the city. The Swedish garrison was blocked by land and by sea. On June 9th the Russians had planned an attack. Several hours before the appointed time, seeing that they had no chance of defending the city, the Swedes sent ambassadors to the Russian camp and proposed capitulation. On June 13,1710 a Russian flag was raised above the city. In 1910, to commemorate the bicentennial of the Vyborg fight, a monument to Peter the Great was placed at the site where the Russian headquarters had been located. After the Nistadt Treaty of 1721, Vyborg became a large province of the Russian state.

From 1918 to 1940, Vyborg had been a part of Finland. In March 1940 the city was returned to the Soviet Union. During the WWII the city lived through a three-year German invasion. On June 20,1944, Soviet troops, which advanced from the Sestra River to the northern section of the Karelian isthmus in 11 days, captured Vyborg. In April 1945 as the war still continued, the Soviet government ordered reconstruction of Vyborg.

To learn more about the ancient castle and the town, visit:

• Vyborgsky Castle State Museum, located at Zamok, Vyborg, Leningrad Region 188802, phone 813-78-215-15, open 10 a.m. - В p.m., closed Mondays.
• Monrepot State History and Archeology Museum and Reserve, located in Vyborg, Leningrad Region 188802. Phone: 813-78-205-39. Open daily 10 a.m. - В p.m.