Vyborg

Not to be confused with Viapori (Viaborg), Suomenlinna.

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Vyborg is a city in western Russia, close to St. Petersburg. The city is also known as Viipuri in Finnish, Viborg in Swedish and Wiburg in German.

Historically the city belonged to:

• Sweden with Finland, as capital of Karelia (Keksholm), from 1293 until 1721
• Imperial Russia, until 1812 (see Old Finland)
• The Grand Duchy of Finland, under Russian sovereignty, until 1917
• The Republic of Finland, as the country's second largest city, until 1940 and between 1941 and 1944
• The Soviet Union
  • in the Finno-Karelian SSR until 1956
  • in the Russian SFSR until 1991
• Russia, since 1991

History

The castle of Vyborg was founded during the third Swedish crusade in 1293. The town's trade privileges were chartered by King Eric of Pomerania in 1403. It remained in Swedish hand until the Great Northern War. Russia received Vyborg by the Treaty of Nystad. After Finland was conquerd by Russia in 1808, Vyborg was incorporated in the grand duchy of Finland in 1812 and became again the center of administration for the eastern part of the country.

In 1917 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.

After the Winter War Finland lost Vyborg to the Soviet Union. It was recaptured by Finnish troops during the Continuation War in 29 August 1941, and lost again on 20 June 1944.

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