photography and something else
Let’s continue our walk around the Vyborg Castle. I walked around the Lower Courtyard, the Castle from the inside, climbed the high tower of St. Olaf, and then I left the courtyard. All kinds of festivals were regularly hold here.
1. There were only a few visitors, including me, in the Upper Courtyard. A view of the eastern building of the castle.
I continued exploration of the Vyborg Castle, and after the local history museum I went up St. Olaf’s Tower, which was the heart of both the castle and the town.
Vyborg Castle was founded by the swedes in 1293 on a stone island, and its tower was named in honor of Olaf II (Olaf Haraldsson), King of Norway from 1015 to 1028.
1. The height of the tower is 48 meters and it was once considered the tallest tower in the region.
Autumn walk around the Vyborg Castle. I crossed the Fortress Bridge and ended up on the Castle Island. And the first thing that welcomed me was the white Commandant’s House.
1. The Commandant’s House was once the residence of the Swedish king’s Governor. But the Museum of Underwater Archeology was located there the day I visited it.
Сastle Island is an island in the Vyborg Bay. The Vyborg Castle was founded here in 1293 by Torkel (or Tyrgils) Knutsson (Lord High Constable of Sweden). Before that there was a site of Karelian fortress.
1. I walked along the Vyborg embankment, and I could see the Castle Island and the famous castle on it.
Vyborg is a town located 174 km west of St. Petersburg. I remember Vyborg for its picturesque ruins, narrow stone paths, and lots of fluffy cats.
1. I started my walk around the city from the white Clock Tower. The Tower was once a part of the Old Cathedral.
There are a lot of golden beaches near Saint Petersburg, and you can find one of them in Zelenogorsk. Zelenogorsk (or Terijoki) is located in the northwest of Saint Petersburg on the shore of the Gulf of Finland.
1. There were only birds and old people on the beach that day, and it’s usually full of people during summers and weekends.
What else can you see near the Staraya Ladoga fortress?
1. Not far from the fortress you can find Varyazhskaya (Varangian) street. People say it’s the OLDEST street in the whole country. Can you imagine?
There were two more historical buildings on the territory of Staraya Ladoga fortress. And they both were churches – the St. George’s Church and the Church of Dimitriy Solunskiy.
1. St. George’s Church was built in the 12th century. It is one of the oldest churches of Russia’s North. You can find more information about it on Wikipedia.
I visited medieval Staraya Ladoga fortress in September 2013, and at that time the fortress had not been fully reconstructed yet. My walk continued inside the fortress.
1. Vorotnaya tower from the courtyard of the fortress (the tower was in the middle of the Western wall).
Staraya Ladoga (Old Ladoga) is located 120 km north-west of Saint Petersburg and it is one of the ancient capitals of Russia and perhaps the oldest Russian city. People suggest that Ladoga was founded in the year 753.
Today it is a small village located between Novaya Ladoga (New Ladoga) and Volkhov, on the banks of the Volkhov and the Ladozhka rivers. It was called Ladoga in the past and it was a trading centre and a strategic harbour.
If you want to know more about Staraya Ladoga Fortress, you can visit Wikipedia.
1. I visited this famous fortress in early September 2013. There was a small red information centre in front of the fortress walls, where tickets and souvenirs were sold.
Julia Torbostaeva 