The city’s main attraction is, of course, the Vyborg Castle. A 13th-century medieval fortress on a tiny islet, it now functions as a local history museum. Vyborg Castle was one of the three major castles of Finland. It was built as the easternmost outpost of the medieval Kingdom of Sweden by orders of Torkel Knutsson, Lord High Constable of Sweden, who in the 1290s made a supposed crusade against Karelia, the Third Finnish Crusade, which actually was aimed against the Russians of Novgorod Republic.
In the 16th century, much was renovated and additions were made. In the 17th century, the castle was allowed to decay, as Russian danger was lessened and the border was further eastwards. Vyborg was taken by the Russians in 1710, but passed back to Finnish hands in 1812 when all of Old Finland was attached to the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland. The castle owes its present appearance to extensive restorations undertaken in the 1890s. The military of the Russian Empire used the castle until 1918 for housing administration. We won’t get into the nitty-gritty of the castle’s history – you can discover it for yourself at the museum! And for spectacular views across the city, climb to the top of St. Olaf’s Tower, the castle’s only remaining tower.
Other activities at the castle include the crafts yard where you can try your hand medieval building techniques, the knights chamber with locally handmade knights attire (try it one on while you’re there!), the medieval torture chamber and, last but not least, if you’re lucky an encounter with the castle’s very own Filimon the cat.