A Historic City Has Fallen Into Disrepair Already For Decades - Restoration to Save Vyborg?

[Jopa79]

A panorama view to the Fortress-quarter (Linnoitus), also known as the old city of Vyborg. Panorama photo is shot from the Vyborg Castle - in the panorama photo between the middle and the right edge is the clock tower of the Old Cathedral. The same clock tower is seen in the right photo. The ravages of time has bitten. Both pictures are from 1996.

About 15 years ago I read an article from a newspaper, it surveyed Köningsberg - founded by the Teutonic Knights the city was a Prussian and German city until the WWII and the disposition for the Soviet Union. Similarly goes with Vyborg - also founded in the 13th century Vyborg has been a location for numerous conflicts and wars. Previously in 1944 the city was ceded for the Soviet Union. The old newspaper article ended with words compering the two cities and the likeness in history saying Köningsberg for the Germans is like Vyborg for the Finnish.

The Vyborg's Kauppatori (marketplace) in the 1930's. The city wall was teared down in the 1850's, as a keepsake for the generations to come the Round Tower (part of the city wall fortification, left on the picture) was saved. It's a venue of dinners and a restaurant still today. Helios, Museoviraston Kuvakokoelmat.

The Swedes founded and built Vyborg Castle in 1293. It was a safeguard for the wars against Novgorod - a lock against the treath from the East. Soon a trading post and then a city raised around the castle. For protection a city wall was built - the only city wall ever existing in Finnish cities - a short version about the name of the Fortress-quarter origins. For the last time Vyborg's fortification system was prepared for a conflict during the Crimean War in the 1850's (the British and the French naval threat on the Gulf of Finland). After the war the Vyborg's fortification system was noted as obsolete and teared down - out of the way of the growing city.

1908 - a street scene from Torkkelinkatu (main street). Wooden-made houses were not anymore allowed to be build in the downtown area. Only houses made of reinforced concrete and stone with 3- or more floors were
permissible. Just-finished business- and office houses further on the picture, on right side of the street. M.L.Castren, Museoviraston Kuvakokoelmat.

A Golden Era in Vyborg's city-building was from the 1880's to the outbreak of the Great War. The state and the city council encouraged building sustainable and hardy houses. The building in the Old City was heavily renewed from the 1880's onward by the local burghers, traders, businessmen and industrial bosses as builders. They were private individuals and the elite in the city. A corporation -based building became more common when coming to the 1900's, but still supported by the local individual moneybags. The city-architect of Vyborg was Brynolf Blomkvist for 25 years.

A design and the blueprints by B.Blomkvist. Burgher Buttenhoff's house (1898) still stands in modern day at the corner of Linnankatu-Uudenportinkatu. Vma.MMA.

The street level of the brand new stone-build houses were filled with small good shops, clothing stores, colonial trade goods with showcases never seen before in Vyborg. The upper floors were the living space for the bourgeois families - quite comfortable, I presume. The era was in any form the wealthiest in the city's history, shipowners, prosperous businessmen, multi-national corporations, Prussian city major - they all were influential and behind the Golden Era in Vyborg. Four different languages were spoken in casual days in the city - Finnish, Swedish, Russian and German. Over 30 Burgher's houses or similar buildings raised in the Old City before 1914, two banks - Bank of the Nordic Countries, Yhdyspankki, department stores, Museum Wiburgense, the Custom House, town hall, market hall.

A desing and the blueprints by B.Blomkvist.Vma.MMA. Vyborg town hall at Raatihuoneentori. The two lower floors were built during the 1700's. The upper floors were built by Blomkvist's design. Wiipuri-museo, Jakob Indursky.

Vyborg Railway Station was finished and opened in 1913. It connected Vyborg and St. Petersburg and increased and improved the Finnish-Russian interaction.

The Finnish era in Vyborg ended after the WWII and Vyborg only belonging some 20 years to the independent Finland. However, the Finnish cultural, verbal and historical influence in the city lasted for some 650 years. It's enough to reach a status as a national symbol. Finland's lost city attracts Finnish tourists every year - seeking the breeze from the past, longing for the good times and wondering the city's poor condition in modern day.

Today Vyborg is a Russian city. An on-going project is a city restoration and renovation in certain parts of the jugend-stylish Old City. Many of the buildings finished during the late 1800's and early 1900's are in so weak condition, that there's nothing to do - many of the buildings have also already collapsed. However, if the renovation would be in a large-scale, the Old City could be showy and raise prestige. Vyborg could compete with Tallinn about the tourist attraction.

 

[Minodrin]

Bah, architecturally Viborg should be glad that the Russians took it. If it had remained in Finnish hands, Alvar Aalto and his modernist cronies would have done far worse horrors to it than the Russians. They did it to practically all other Finnish cities.

 

[Kenttäharmaa]

Calling Finnish Viipuri "Vyborg" is as anachronistic as calling German Königsberg "Kaliningrad".

 

[Finsword]

Calling Finnish Viipuri "Vyborg" is as anachronistic as calling German Königsberg "Kaliningrad".

Not really, since Vyborg is the traditional Russian name for that city, while Kaliningrad was a neologism of the late 40's. Before that Königsberg used to be called Кенигсберг in Russian. Russian and Swedish names for (previous or current) Finnish places also tend to fit better with the English language, which is another argument for avoiding Finnic place names when not speaking Finnish.

 

[Kenttäharmaa]

Not really, since Vyborg is the traditional Russian name for that city, while Kaliningrad was a neologism of the late 40's. Before that Königsberg used to be called Кенигсберг in Russian. Russian and Swedish names for (previous or current) Finnish places also tend to fit better with the English language, which is another argument for avoiding Finnic place names when not speaking Finnish.

Russia renamed Viipuri to Vyborg in 1948, when most place names on the formerly Finnish part of the Karelian Isthmus were Russified. The OP writes almost exclusively about Finnish-era Viipuri, yet uses the post-1948 Russian name. This IMO is wrong. Ironically he also refers to modern-day Kaliningrad as Königsberg, which contradicts his naming convention for Viipuri.

It doesn't particularly rustle my jimmies either way, I just thought it historically inaccurate.

 

[Jopa79]

Russia renamed Viipuri to Vyborg in 1948, when most place names on the formerly Finnish part of the Karelian Isthmus were Russified. The OP writes almost exclusively about Finnish-era Viipuri, yet uses the post-1948 Russian name. This IMO is wrong. Ironically he also refers to modern-day Kaliningrad as Königsberg, which contradicts his naming convention for Viipuri.

It doesn't particularly rustle my jimmies either way, I just thought it historically inaccurate.

Firstly, I used ’Vyborg’ because it’s commonly used word to describe the exact city in English also and easier to understand for non-Finnish people than ’Viipuri’. Secondly, there’s very little about the Finnis-era (December 1917-March 1940 and August 1941-June 1944). If you examine the thread carefully you should notice that the main focus of the text is in the late 19th century and early 20th century during the Tsarist Russia. And thirdly, I didn’t mention Kaliningrad in the text - to my knowledge Köningsberg hasn’t been translated in English, but has the same name in both - German and English.

 

[Minodrin]

Firstly, I used ’Vyborg’ because it’s commonly used word to describe the exact city in English also and easier to understand for non-Finnish people than ’Viipuri’. Secondly, there’s very little about the Finnis-era (December 1917-March 1940 and August 1941-June 1944). If you examine the thread carefully you should notice that the main focus of the text is in the late 19th century and early 20th century during the Tsarist Russia. And thirdly, I didn’t mention Kaliningrad in the text - to my knowledge Köningsberg hasn’t been translated in English, but has the same name in both - German and English.

Dude, now you are being seriously insulting.

The Finnish era, such as it was, began in 1809, after the Russian Czar conquered Finland and set it up as grand duchy, which was in a personal union with Russia. Viborg was never a Russian city, it was founded, and continued to be a Swedish and later Finnish city, which was populated by a merchant class and a general populace from the Finnish nation. The Finnish state also came into being in 1809, which you will find from for example the fact, that Finland joined the League of Nations as an old state when it was founded, not as a newly founded state.

 

[Jopa79]

Dude, now you are being seriously insulting.

The Finnish era, such as it was, began in 1809, after the Russian Czar conquered Finland and set it up as grand duchy, which was in a personal union with Russia. Viborg was never a Russian city, it was founded, and continued to be a Swedish and later Finnish city, which was populated by a merchant class and a general populace from the Finnish nation. The Finnish state also came into being in 1809, which you will find from for example the fact, that Finland joined the League of Nations as an old state when it was founded, not as a newly founded state.

After losing Vyborg for Peter the Great and the Tsardom of Russia in 1710 Sweden ceded the city in the Treaty of Nystad 1721 ending the Great Northern War between the Swedish Empire and the Tsardom of Russia. Never again having the control of Vyborg this was the end of the Swedish era in the city. Signing the peace also signified Sweden to lose the area known as the Old Finland.

Ruotsi=Sweden - Vanha Suomi=Old Finland - Venäjä=Russia. In the Treaty of Nystad 1721 Sweden ceded the Old Finland (green) for Russia including the city of Viipuri=Vyborg. During the Russo-Swedish War of 1741-1743 Sweden, having revenge spirits tried to re-conquer the Old Finland, but just ended to lose more land (yellow).

During 1721-1812 Vyborg was a city in the Russian Empire. Farming and the traditional way of life remained somewhat unchanged. The Grand Duchy of Finland was a consequence of the Finnish War between the Kingdom of Sweden and the Russian Empire in 1808-1809. Sweden lost the rest of Finland - known as the New Finland from the Russian perspective. The Grand Duchy of Finland was founded in 1809 by the Russians basing on the former New Finland, but the Old Finland and Vyborg were joined later in the context of the Grand Duchy of Finland - in 1812. During 1812-1917 Vyborg was part of the Grand Duchy of Finland. This era meets part of the criteria of an independent and a sovereign nation, but the time period ended in two eras of Russian oppression and governmental policy of the Russian Empire, limiting the autonomy and the special status, the termination of the Finnish political independency. This led to Finnish widespread resistance and ultimately declaring the Finnish independence and founding Finland.

The Finnish era in the independent Finland in Vyborg was during 1917-1939 and again 1941-1944. The other historical affiliations in Vyborg are the Soviet eras 1940-1941/1944-1991 and the Russian era 1991-.

Yes, by administratively the Finnish state and its first steps were created and allowed by the Russian Empire and during the era of the Grand Duchy of Finland, but in the late 1800's and early in the 1900's the Russian interest and purpose was to terminate this autonomy and Finland's own decision-making power. Only Finland's declaration of independence and the outcome of the Finnish Civil War ultimately created the Finnish state. As with all global organizations Finland has joined or being accepted as a member state, not as a part of Sweden, nor as an autonomous part of another country, but as an independent nation created by itself.

 

[Gerle]

Interesting reading, thank you! I mostly remember Viborg from the Viborgska gatloppet.