Vyborg

Vyborg is a city in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the western coast of the Gulf of Finland near the Finnish border. It serves as the administrative center of Vyborgsky District and is a historic military and trade town. In Finnish and Swedish sources the city is known as Viipuri and Viborg, respectively, reflecting its long borderland heritage.

The city dates back to 1293, when it was founded by the Swedish kingdom as Viborg and became a key fortress and trading post in the Baltic region. Vyborg’s strategic position led to repeated wars and shifting control between Sweden, Russia, and Finland. After the Great Northern War, Russia gained control, and the town entered the era of the Russian Empire, later becoming part of the Grand Duchy of Finland within the Russian state. Following Finland’s independence in 1917 and the Winter War of 1939–40, Viipuri was ceded to the Soviet Union and renamed Vyborg. It remained part of the USSR after World War II, and today is part of Russia.

The city is notable for historical landmarks such as Vyborg Castle, a medieval fortress that crowns the hill overlooking the harbor, and the Viipuri Library, designed by Alvar Aalto in the 1930s, an iconic work of modern Finnish architecture. The old town area preserves a mix of Finnish, Swedish, and Russian influences. The population of Vyborg is around 80,000, with linguistic and cultural legacies reflecting its complex past. Today the city functions as a regional transport and administrative hub, with industry, maritime services, and tourism drawing on its historic heritage.