Vyborg was founded by the Sweden in the early Middle Ages, and although in the 18 century it was given to Russia, the old town Vyborg fully preserved its historic appearance with Scandinavian architecture. In this respect it strongly differs from St. Petersburg and the other cities of the North-West Russia.
Old town Vyborg is rather small, as it will take you some 2-3 hours to make the round of all its main sights, but anyway, the historic center can not be large. It is located on the peninsula washed from one side by the Bay of Vyborg (here Vyborg port) and from the other by the Salakka Lahti Bay. They are connected by the fortress strait, in the middle of which the Vyborg castle is located on the islet.
Of course, the Vyborg castle is the main sight of the city, but after it you should go to the Old Town Hall Square and begin your acquaintance with the old town Vyborg.
Historic buildings face the Old Town Hall Square. The monument of Torgils Knutsson, the Swedish king and the founder of Vyborg, was installed in the center of the Old Town Hall Square in 1908. The cobbled Fortress street runs uphill from the Old Town Hall Square.
Sometime it was the main street of Vyborg. Alleys are on both sides of the Fortress street, and 200 meters from the square you can see the Clock Tower and the ruins of the cathedral church. The main church of Vyborg was destroyed many times. For the first time it was destroyed by the troops of Novgorod the Great during the siege of 1411. After that it was rebuilt but with the coming of the Russian the Lutheran church of the Virgin Mary became the Orthodox church of Sts. Peter and Paul. It was completely ruined during the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939 and today only some parts of its walls and the tower remain.
The symbol of the old town Vyborg – the Clock Tower – is near the cathedral. Formerly, it was the belfry of the cathedral, but unlike the latter it suffered small damages, and you can even ascend to the top of the tower to see the historic center of the city. The tower itself was built in 1494, while the clock appeared only in 1753.
