My mother was born in viipuri 1924, and had to leave in 1939 :(

"I didn't steal your bike, I just took custody of it for the foreseeable future."

My mother's family is from Viipuri. The victorious write the history book. Area round Ladoga was inhabited by Finnic people long before Slavs and Vikings came there. Sad to see that Russia don't take care good about areas they conquered but still do keep conquering new territories.

My wife's grandmother is from Viipuri, that's very common here in the capital area of Finland for people to have grandparents who had to flee Viipuri as the Soviets rolled in as no one wanted to stay with them in power.

The world is full of beautiful, charming, unforgettable places, steeped in history and culture and interesting stories about them...Thank you once again Svetlana, for introducing us to a few more, that most of us are not likely to get to know up close in our lifetime, but, at the same time, couldn't ask for a better tour guide to them than you yourself, and your lovely videos...🙏

Yes, it was stolen from us. My grandfather fought there like many others. One Finnish soldier was worth 10 Russians, because we were fighting for our own land.

I have a Finnish friend. I brought this city up to him one time when i didnt know much about it. His temper went very high immediately and he said "they stole it from us with threats of war".

I have known Vyborg since 1985 when I brought my first tour group, and had lunch at Hotel Druzhba before continuing to Leningrad. Two years later I met a Leningrad guide there, and 2 years later we got married. We have a flat near Udelnaya in St Pete, so enjoy regular trips to Vyborg. It takes only an hour on the fast new electric train. Sometimes we stay at the Druzhba, sometimes we just make a day trip of it. I know that the Finn's who moved back here after the Winter War ended in 1940 felt seethingly angry when they had to leave their homes after the Continuation War ended in 1944. However as one comment by a family member who once lived there, Vyborg and Karelia are now Russian. That's an unfortunate fact, but it is reality. Before the war Finn's made a magnificent gift to the city and its people when they reconstructed Alvo Aalto's 1929 library. I love this place, and feel it represents reconciliation. Sadly, as Svetlana points out, the fabric of the city is in a pitiful state. Moscow did provide funds for renovation, but the money was stolen by local politicians. One stole €20 million to pay a bribe to get into politics in Moscow. Sadly, misappropriation of funds is endemic in Russia. Vyborg has such potential, yet it is largely unrealised. I found the people open and friendly, however. Monplaisir Park has also been grossly mismanaged. It's scandalous that such a wonderful place of natural beauty is under threat. Thanks, Sveta. I enjoyed your report from Dixie supermarket. Very interesting, as I haven't been in St Petersburg since we came to bury my lovely mother-in-law just 4 days before the launch of a special military operation. I miss St Petersburg and my Russian family and friends. I miss Vyborg. I hope the war ends soon, and peace returns so I too can return. But I fear this may still be several years away. Merry 'Catholic' Christmas!

Stolen City - indeed.

Viipuri was the 2nd biggest town of Finland. It has only 70 000 inhabitants just like in 30's. No development. According normal development there should be 300 000 inhabitants.

The reality is that Russia has too much land compared to their economy and population, to maintain the majority of towns and cities. For example this beautiful city of Vyborg has been let to decay, because there's no money / interest / local population to maintain it as it was before the Russian annexation.

"Calling stealing doesn't cover all the details". Ask Ukrainians.

Svetlana, I got SO excited when I saw you have a vlog. It's beautiful! The colour of the leaves. You were brave to go out and selfish me appreciated your photography skills! Lovely!

Finland is a beautiful country. 👍🏻

Did you know that after the Orcs took over Viipuri, only a couple of hundred people had stayed, while the rest of the almost 100 000 inhabitants having fled. What happened to those couple of hundred people? You guessed it, they were sent to the gulag!

Viborg is Finland!

The video has very good definition! The bark and leaves looked so deep! Nice work!

No, it was stolen.

Tragic town, no fate worse than to be annexed by the russian empire. Poverty and everything falling into disrepair

I read an article that money was allocated to help preserve the castle, but most of it was embezzled.

Thank you, Sveta! You brought back sweet childhood memories. Dad actually bought a tram just like you showed, and we used it as a summer cottage. 🌅🇫🇮🇷🇺

Why quotation marks? It's a city that was inhabited by Finns from the beginning of time until the 1940s. St. Petersburg sits on historically Finnic lands too. Pushkin wrote about it. Look it up. I was in Vyborg in the 1990s. People tried to steal parts of our car while we were driving down the street. Windshield wipers, hood ornament, whatever. A traumatizing visit. I had never seen machine guns, prostitution, bribery, or drunk driving in broad daylight before.

My heritage is indeed from Viaborg. So its heartbreaking that its said that the ownership has shiwted between some countries while the people who used to be live there were finnish. Its all politics end of the day. Common people are forgot.

Vyborg has always been inhabited by finns and karelians. Until the winter war when thousands of finns and karelians had to evacuate and leave their homes. Now vyborg is just inhabited by russians and not the native people

love birch trees! What a frigid walk; loved the bridge of birch.

Vyborg is Finnish and belongs to Finland! 🇫🇮🇫🇮🇫🇮

You did stole it

Sad to see..

Nyet Molotov! Нет, Молотов! Viipuri is Finland 🇫🇮

Russians really polluted this town. What a shame, hope it will be back in Finland one day 🇫🇮

Thank you for your very professional high quality content. Well done.

Viipuri was built and inhabited by Finns. Viipuri was part of independent and sovereign Finland, as it had always been. Vyborg was part of Finland under the rule of the King of Sweden and Vyborg was part of Finland under the rule of the Tsar of Russia. Stalin and Hitler divided Poland and Finland between them and Stalin attacked Finland 1939 and looted 10% of Finland's surface area, including Vyborg. There is nothing ambiguous about this. 1991 Boris Jetsin would have sold Karelia back to Finland for 15 billion dollars. The Finns did not want to discuss the matter. Thank God.

thank you for explaining

Svetlana, thank you for all your videos. Keep up the lovely and wonderful work!

That is the coolest squirrel I've ever seen!!! More please!

Thank you for the video. 100 km from St Petersburg and city looks like that😬ouch. From 🇫🇮

Thank you Svetlana! You used the correct words: "stolen" and "ruined"!

It definitely has an "Old World"feel to it!Also the background music does!👍

warm greetings to you; another fine excursion you have presented

I love the peace and the way you produce the videos. They are very relaxing. Thanks for sharing!

Such a wonderful video tour of VYBORG! May I ask what camera you use for filming? Beautiful quality!

hope it will be karelian state and part of finland in coming years !

wonerful job on this especially pointing out despite all th e pain its the lowest among us who suffer most --- keep up good work !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Beautiful video.

Torkel Knutsson.led the Third Swedish Crusade to Finland against the pagan Karelians in 1293. The target of the Swedish attack was the harbor and marketplace at Soumenvedenpohja, later known as Vyborg. The place was key to the West Karelians' trade and exchange with the outside world, and even before the arrival of the Swedes there was an older Karelian fortification there.

Be safe and warm,,, Happy new year and wishing you all the best in 2024🎉

I wanted to hug the cat so much! The swedish old song so funny! And i also like this stile of old houses, we must all live in this kind of town!

Thanks for sharing!

It is one of the many territories Moscovites stole from neighbouring countries.

Keep removing comments?

That was inspiring, take me there 👍

Expect eagerly.shamim💏👏🤼‍♂️

Merci du partage, vidéo intéressante.

I can see that you created this video with love for us finns while not forgetting the swedes either, with some special touch ❤Thank you for this. You are amazing! It's a shame I never visited this city while it is so close to the border. It seems to be in better condition than I expected actually and very beautiful in many ways indeed. When it comes to history I don't want to carry on the hateful feelings. From what I understand people in Russia do not have such feelings towards us.

I need to read first I can comment on whose it belongs to but you have made an amazing, honest, informative video.🎉

Wow! That place was absolutely beautiful. Thanks for the video. Hair goddess is a fitting name because your hair is amazing. Hope you are doing well and have a wonderful season.

Svetlana,thanks for sharing …I have visited this town …such a pity that it’s not preserved and restored better …but it is a beautiful place …until next time …Alex🇬🇷

Thanks!

My friend wrote here that his family is from Viipuri and his cment was removed. Why, Svetlana?

nice place reminds me of york in england and beautiful as always 😍😍

Very pretty little town

Viipuri, Vyborg was always since before 1939a city of us Finns. We were part of Sweden, yes. We remained also an autonomy in Russia about 100 years. Just the city and our country was never russified. Until the late czars tried. they failed. In 1939 the Russians attacked with no reason, and stole our Karelia including Viipuri with their nazi pact. Also St Petersburg was built on Finns land, but it is an ancient history.

ginormous, I had to look it up -

That city looks like your average city in Sweden/Finland. It's absolutely amazing, and to see that train cart with signs in both Finnish and Swedish on it is so cool. I love that they played that song in that cute little shop. And Glögg is the best. I could drink it endlessly. If it hadn't been for the russian signs, it'd be a nordic city by all means. I hope they shape up and stop letting it fall apart....

Viipuri was a beautiful city. I love Finland and it should belong to it. One of the few beautiful cities in Russia not looking soviet. I never understood why Russia always expand without having the interest or capability to mantain the places.

😢Sad😢the owners of the beautiful buildings don’t show pride of ownership by keeping them repaired or maintained or painted…I enjoyed your narrative, history lesson, and sight seeing. .

The city where my mother was born and where she started school. As a Finn I would not call the city Finno - Russian as during autonomy it was a Finnish city and before WW2 totally evacuated to protect the people (Unlike Leningrad where Stalin let hundreds of thousands Russians die as human shields rather than evacuate them and protect the lives of the citizens). As all Finns left Viborg just like my mother, the city no longer was Finnish in any way, but became a totally Soviet city, and after the USSR collapsed in 1991 it became a totally Russian city. There is no such thing as Finno - Russian cities. Russia is an imperialist state, currently led by war criminals. Finland has nothing to do with Russia and therefore literally nothing is Finno - Russian and will never be. First Finnish and then Russian, two different and separate things.

I hope this lands will be returned to Finland one day

Svetlana,you did a good job on this commentary..

Yes, Russia stole Karelen from Finland. Thet is Russias MO. They stole the whole of Finland once, from Sweden (it was a part of Sweden for 600 years before that, from the time any kingdoms existed in that area), when they for a short while sided with Napoleon.

Damn! I love those Russian squirrels with the long fluffy ears, esp. the ones with black and red mixed fur. We need to import some of those.

One of your best vlogs!❤

The town will only be as good and well preserved as you want it and the generation of Russia that is young. This video is one step in that direction by showing us a bit of history and also the beautiful places in this little town. It is now part of the Russian federation and becomes yours to take care of. Thanks you for sharing and take care.

Viborg and other Finnish territories were unprovokedly conquered by force through Russian intervention because Russia believed that the Finnish border was too close to the major city of St. Petersburg, posing a security risk. As happens everywhere Russia conquers land from its neighbors, the city is now declining, and with it, its historical heritage is disappearing, which is very sad and regrettable.😢

"We didn't steal it, we forced them to give it to us" 🙄

A good history lesson, my parents are Finns so I liked it a lot. Regarding the past fighting, I believe Peter the Greats creation of Petersburg was the big issue. The Russians had very little interest in the Baltic area, then with the new super city they changed their view, How many Kms from Viipurii to Pietaari? They are close... Supposedly the new mega cannons of 100 years ago were in range. Plus the Bolshy's started in Petersburg.

❤️❤️❤️

love u Mam 💗

Tack! Kiitos spazchiba ❤thank You so much

What happened to her trip and moving to USA?

Well, technically it was pro-Novgorod Republic aligned land of the Kareli tribes at first. But town and castle were swedish, founded by swedish crusaders during the wars with Novgorod Republic in the late XIII. After the Great Northern war Sweden agreed to cede the land and city to Russia. Only in 1812 Viborg was transferred as sign of good relations to the first known autonomous recognised Finland as a separate state = formal union. The Grand duchy of Finland. Only in the mid of XIX century population started to grow up from 2-3 thsnds. In 1861, the general plan for the development of Vyborg was approved, and new streets were laid out and parks were created on the site of the demolished fortifications of the old swedish town wall. So modern city was founded and developed by russians, germans and swedes. So yeah, my finnish vikings, sure. Don't forget The Viipuri massacre of the russian population in 1918-19.

The song 8:00 is a norweigian song called "musevisa" but it sounds like they are singing the swedish version of the song.

👍👍👍

My last name is Finno is that a russian word?? If yes is it common in russia??

Crimea and Vyborg actually have two things in common: 1. Both are temporarily occupied by Russia and 2. neither of them ever in history had Russian majority population before 1944 deportation of the original peoples (Finns from Vyborg, Tatars from Crimea).

👍 🙂

Russia is only good at stealing from other countries but can’t maintain what they have! I have visited Russia before and unfortunately the country is very poor once you get out of the main cities. I’m sure that the Finnish people would take much better care of this area. Thanks for your honesty

So it looks pretty normal there. From the videos I watch coming out of Russia. Alot different then what the news says.

All raight daling, happy merry, good women. 😊😊😊

Thanks for sharing Svetlana.👸🌹 Vyborg looks amazing. love the fall colors. Love💖 your channel Happy Holiday with you friend and family. Cheers 🥨🥨🍷🍷🎅

I was born a few km from there but never visited. I have been to 3 corners of Siberia and lived in Ukraine and Belarus tho :)

Thank you, Svetlana, for showing us this part of the world, which I never would see otherwise.

Love ❤ Bangladesh 🇧🇩

we want watch laatokka lake too what they stole biggest lake of eu,please wisit there filming

That cat is not poor, he seems well nunourished. But really cute!

V beautiful places. From Pakistan 🇵🇰🌹

Nice vlog, Svetlana! I really liked the tram coffee shop and the Monrepos Park.

10:10 very nice video I like the beautiful park I'm surprised to see graffiti spray painted the walls 😊

I guess in that case New York City is still New Amsterdam… what a beautiful blend of differing architectures, Sveta! Hopefully there will eventually be a push to help preserve Vyborg for many years to come… thanks again!

What a beautiful history video! Thank you, Svetlana.