Vyborg
For other uses, see Vyborg (disambiguation) |
A view of Vyborg from the castle tower |
Vyborg (; ; ; ) is a town in
Leningrad Oblast,
Russia, situated on the
Karelian Isthmus near the head of the
Bay of Vyborg, 130 km to the northwest of
St. Petersburg, 38 km south from Russia's border with
Finland, where the
Saimensky Canal enters the
Gulf of Finland.
2002 population—79,224.
The area where Vyborg is located used to be a trading center on the
River Vuoksi's western branch, which has been dried up. The area used to be inhabited by the
Karelians, a
Finnic tribe which gradually came under the domination of
Novgorod and
Sweden.
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A copper engraving of Vyborg in 1709 |
The first
castle of Vyborg was founded during the third Swedish crusade in
1293 by
marshal Torkel Knutsson. The castle was fought over for centuries between Sweden and the
Republic of Novgorod. By the
treaty of Nöteborg in
1323 Viborg was finally recognized as a part of
Sweden. It withstood a prolonged siege by
Daniil Shchenya during the
Russo-Swedish War, 1496-1499.
The town's trade privileges were
chartered by King
Eric of Pomerania in
1403. Viborg remained in Swedish hands until its capture by
Peter the Great in the
Great Northern War (1710). The
Treaty of Nystad (
1721), which concluded the war, assigned the town to Russia.
One of the largest naval battles in history was fought off shore in the Vyborg Bay on
July 4,
1790.
After the rest of Finland was ceded to Russia in
1809,
Alexander I of Russia incorporated the
town and county into the newly-created
Grand Duchy of Finland in
1812. In the course of the
19th century, the town developed as the center of administration for the eastern part of Finland. The inauguration of the
Saimensky Canal in
1856 benefited the local economy.
Following the
Russian Revolution of 1917 and the fall of the
Russian Empire, Finland declared itself independent. During the
Finnish Civil War Vyborg was in the hands of the
Reds, until it was captured by the
Whites on
29 April 1918.
In the mid-war decades, the town, then officially known as Viipuri, was the second biggest city in Finland. In
1939 Vyborg had some 80,000 inhabitants, including sizable minorities of
Russians,
Germans and
Swedes. During this time,
Alvar Aalto built a masterpiece of
modernist architecture—the Viipuri Library.
During the
Winter War more than 70,000 people were evacuated from Vyborg to western Finland. The Winter War was concluded by the
Peace of Moscow, which stipulated the transfer of Vyborg and the whole
Karelian Isthmus - emptied of their residents - to Soviet sovereignty. As the town was still held by the Finns, the remaining Finnish population, some 10,000 people, had to be evacuated in haste. Thus, practically the whole population of Finnish Vyborg were resettled in the remaining Finland. The evacuees from
Finnish Karelia came to be a vociferous political force, and their wish to return to their homes was an important incentive when Finland sought support from
Germany against the Soviet threat; a support that resulted in Finland and Germany ending up on the same side in
World War II.
On
August 29,
1941, Vyborg was recaptured by Finnish troops. At first the Finnish Army didn't allow civilians into the town. Of the 6,287 buildings 3,807 had been destroyed. The first civilians started to arrive at the end of September and by the end of the year Vyborg had a population of about 9,700. By
1942 it has risen to 16,000. About 70% of the evacuees from Finnish Karelia returned after the re-conquest to rebuild their looted homes, but were again evacuated after the
Red Army's
Fourth strategic offensive, timed with the
Battle of Normandy. By the time of the Soviet offensive the town had a population of nearly 28,000. The town was evacuated by
June 19 and the defence of Vyborg was entrusted to the
20th Brigade. The town fell to the Red Army on
20 June 1944.
Following the town's return to Russia, its name officially reverted to Vyborg. During the Soviet era, the town was settled by people from all over the Soviet Union and continued to be an important industrial producer of
paper.
An
HVDC back-to-back facility for the change of electricity between the Russian and Finnish power grid was completed near Vyborg in 1982. It consists of three bipolar HVDC back-to-back schemes with an operating voltage of 85 kV and a maximum transmission rate of 355 megawatts, so that the entire maximum transmission rate amounts to 1065 megawatts.
Vyborg's most prominent landmark is the Swedish castle, started in the 13th century and extensively reconstructed in 1891–1894. The Round Tower and the Rathaus Tower date from the mid-16th century.
There are also Russian fortifications, completed by
1740, a monument to Peter I (1910), and the
Lenin house, where the Russian revolutionary prepared the Bolshevik revolution during his stay in Vyborg in September-October of
1917.
Sprawling along the heights adjacent to the
Gulf of Finland is
Mon Repos, one of the most spacious
English parks in Eastern Europe. The park was laid out on behest of its owner, Baron Ludwig Heinrich von Nikolay, at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. Most of the garden structures were designed by the architect
Giuseppe Antonio Martinelli. Previously, the estate belonged to the future king
Frederick I of Württemberg (
Maria Fyodorovna's brother), who called it Charlottendahl in honor of his second wife.
The Russian Film Festival "Window to Europe" takes place in the town each year.
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Vyborg's official webpage*
History of Vyborg*
Viipuri Library*
WebcamPhotographs
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Flickr photos tagged Vyborg*
Model of Viipuri as it was on September 2nd 1939 at 10:30 a.m.
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Model of Viipuri - click the red circles for detailed views of the miniature model of Vyborg
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Winter views of Vyborg*
Mon Repos Park*
Vyborg in modern and old photosMaps
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Modern Vyborg*
Vyborg in 1939*
Vyborg in 1902*
Vyborg circa 1750
