Karelian Isthmus Must-Sees

The Karelian Isthmus preserves a complex history through its diverse architecture and strategic fortifications. Vyborg serves as a primary hub, featuring the 16th-century Swedish Round Tower, the Gothic St. Hyacinth's Church, and Alvar Aalto’s functionalist library. The region's military heritage is evident in the medieval Korela Fortress in Priozersk and the island-based Oreshek Fortress on Lake Ladoga. Nature and design converge at Monrepos, an English landscape park characterized by granite cliffs and coastal views along the Vyborg Bay.

Monrepos

Mon Repos or Monrepos is an extensive English landscape park in the northern part of the rocky island of Linnasaari outside Vyborg, Russia.

Round Tower

Round Tower is a fortification at the market square of Vyborg. It was built in 1547–1550 by the order of Gustav I of Sweden as a part of the…

Vyborg Library

Vyborg Library is a library in Vyborg, Russia, built during the time of Finnish sovereignty, before the Finnish city of Viipuri was annexed…

Casovaa basna

A former bell tower of the 15th-century Old Cathedral, this landmark features a 19th-century clock mechanism and once served as a fire watchtower. It stands as one of the oldest structures in Vyborg’s medieval quarter.

Samyj staryj ziloj dom v Rossii

A 16th-century stone 'fortress-house' built during the Swedish period. It is considered the oldest continuously inhabited residential building in Russia, featuring thick medieval walls and a simple rectangular design.

St. Hyacinth's Church, Vyborg

St. Hyacinth's Church is a Gothic building, formerly a church, in Vyborg, Leningrad Oblast, Russia.

Annenkrone

Annenkrone is an early 18th century fortification in Vyborg, Russia. It is located outside the town in the island of Tverdysh.

Hermitage-Vyborg Center

The Hermitage-Vyborg Center is an external branch of the Saint Petersburg based Hermitage Museum in the Karelian town of Vyborg.

Transfiguration Cathedral

A neoclassical Russian Orthodox cathedral commissioned by Catherine the Great in 1787. Designed by architect Nikolay Lvov, the building features a prominent bell tower and serves as the primary cathedral for the Vyborg diocese.

Korela Fortress

Korela Fortress is a medieval fortress in the town of Priozersk, Leningrad Oblast, Russia.

Oreshyok Fortress

The Shlisselburg Fortress or Oreshek Fortress is one of a series of fortifications built in Oreshek on Orekhovy Island in Lake Ladoga, near…

Drakkary

Full-scale replicas of Viking longships located along the Salakka-Lahti Bay embankment. These wooden vessels were originally created as props for the 1985 historical film 'Trees Grow on the Stones'.