Vyborg castle

© Aleksandr Medvedkov/Shutterstock

Vyborg Castle

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Rising stoutly from an islet in Vyborg Bay, this castle was built by the Swedes in 1293 when they first captured Karelia from Novgorod. Most of it now consists of 16th-century alterations. The castle contains several exhibition halls, including a mildly diverting small museum on local history, but the main attraction is climbing the many steps of whitewashed St Olaf’s Tower for commanding views over the town (closed for renovations at time of research).


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1. Museum

0.01 MILES

This is a small museum of local history inside the Vyborg castle complex.

2. St Olaf’s Tower

0.02 MILES

The last remaining part of the original Vyborg castle, this tower can be climbed for great views of the town. Unfortunately, it's inaccessible for the…

3. Clock Tower

0.21 MILES

The Clock Tower was first built in 1490 and is worth climbing for the views of town. At time of research, it was closed for long-term restoration.

4. Anninskie Fortifications

0.25 MILES

At the southern end of Tverdysh Island is this double line of fortifications, built between 1730 and 1750 as protection against the Swedes and named after…

5. Round Tower

0.35 MILES

One unmissable relic of Vyborg’s Swedish times is the squat Round Tower, which now houses a restaurant.

6. Town Hall

0.42 MILES

This is the remains of the 15th-century Town Hall, with its distinctive white tower crowned with what resembles a giant metallic wizard’s hat.

7. Hermitage Vyborg

0.58 MILES

Housed in a wing of a striking building designed by Finnish architect Uno Ulberg in 1930, this small museum hosts themed exhibitions that are curated from…