Vyborg Castle (Russia)
In 1617, according to Stolbov peace treaty when Russian lands were annexed the border of Swedish territory greatly advanced to the south-east. In particular, fortresses Korela and Oreshek went over to Sweden; apart from that, Swedes founded fortress Nyenschantz (located on the territory of today’s Saint-Petersburg and destroyed by Peter I in 1703). In the new situation Vyborg became a city far back in the rear and it lost its borderline status. The military significance of the castle decreased and it was used as a political prison.
In 1700, a famous Northern war between Sweden and Russian broke out. And the beginning of it was very unfortunate for Russia. Only in 1706, Peter I was able to start large-scale military operations against Swedes in Karelia.
Russians undertook their first attempt to take Vyborg in October of 1706. Cavalry and infantry regiments approached the city but they were not able to seize it. There were no military ships needed to blockade the city from the sea; the troops were also short of artillery. After four days of bombardment Russians troops withdrew to Petersburg.
New march to Vyborg was undertaken by Russian troops in 1710. After his victory in the battle at Poltava, Peter’s next goal was to take over Vyborg. This would allow taking the entire Karelian isthmus under Russian control. The garrison of the Vyborg fortress, one of the strongest in Finland, had around 6,000 people and 150 guns.
According to the plan designed by Peter I, in March of 1710, in bitter cold, Russian corps, numbering 13,000 people made a 150-kilometer march on the ice of the Finnish Gulf from Kotlin island (Kronstadt) to Vyborg. Immediately engaging into battle, the Russian troops cut the fortress from the main forces of Swedes in Finland.
It took them absolutely by surprise. But the attack could be started only when the ice of the gulf would break. In May, young Baltic Fleet of 250 ships headed for the fortress, carrying several thousand soldiers to Vyborg, among those were famed Semenovskiy and Preobrazhenskiy Guards regiments, as well as 108 guns, munitions and food supplies. In early June the fortress was bombarded and a breach was made in the city’s wall.
The decisive storm was appointed on June 9. Having learned about it, the Swedish garrison which had not received any help from their troops, capitulated. On the same day the victory was celebrated.
The majority of Swedish residents of Vyborg did not leave the city and pledged to the Russian tsar. Until the very beginning of XIX century, Swedish language was predominant in the city and ethnic Swedes occupied most of Vyborg’s official posts.
After Vyborg’s capture by Peter I in 1710, the Vyborg Fortress itself did not participate in any battles any more.
The names of two great Russian commanders — A. V. Suvorov and M. I. Kutuzov are connected to Vyborg. Suvorov had been here three times and he even supervised the remodeling of old fortifications and the construction of new ones for one year and a half. In 1795-1796, Kutuzov commanded the army, the navy and the fortresses of Vyborg province.
After the Russian-Swedish war of 1807, relationships between the two countries quickly normalized and never again would they lead to a war. Besides that, as the result of the war, Finland became part of Russia and Vyborg ceased to be a borderline fort, this time for Russia. In a short time, the castle lost its military significance and was turned into a prison. Here, in particular, a few prisoners were held — those who participated in the Decembrist Revolt — among whom were such famous persons as I. A. Anenkov and M. S. Lunin.
In 1856, festive fireworks were organized in the fortress to celebrate the opening of Saimensky channel, which led to a devastating fire. After the fire the castle was empty for three and a half decades.
In 1860, the fortress was officially recognized as unfit for defense and it was brought out from under the supervision of the Ministry of Defense. At the end of XIX century, restoration works were started here but they had not been completed.
In January and April of 1918, there were clashes between Bolshevik detachments and the supporters of Finland’s independence in Vyborg, and the latter gained the upper hand. During the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940, which received the name of the “Winter Campaign” the Soviet troops took Vyborg. In the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the city was seized by Finland again, and in June of 1944 the Red Army drove Finns out of the city for the second time. In 1964, USSR Ministry of Defense gave the castle over to the State Inspection of Monuments Protection.