Russian Finland: Vyborg, Sortavala. School tour

1 day

Transfer to Vyborg

Walking sightseeing tour of Vyborg - 2 hours

A trip to Vyborg is more than a trip to Europe. The complex history of the region and the proximity of different cultures have created something truly unique. Like the waves of the Vyborg Bay, which now capture the cold granite of the shores, then recede, different tribes and states now owned this land, then lost it. The advantageous fortification position of Vyborg made its capture an important milestone in the conflicts between Novgorodians and Swedes, the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Sweden, the USSR and Finland.

And this city has a completely different face. Alluring, symbolic northern modernity, as well as a revolutionary phenomenon in the architecture of the XX century – Finnish functionalism. For Finland, Vyborg was the second most important city, the cultural capital, as for Russia St. Petersburg.

Visit the Vyborg Castle with a tour of the Museum "Swedish Vyborg", which allows you to get acquainted with the rich history of the castle and the city. Visitors will learn about the Swedish period in the history of Vyborg, see unique exhibits and artifacts, and hear interesting facts and legends associated with this place.

Visit Olaf Tower on your own and free time on Castle Island.

Lunch

Excursion to the world's only landscaped mountain park Monrepo. The owner of this estate was a German by birth president of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences Ludwig Heinrich Nikolai.

The orphanage I dreamed of as a young man,

To the sound of Tibull's string games,

He was given to me in my old age;

It's come true, thank God.

That's all I want.

This is a translation from the German beginning of a poem written by Nicholas, and according to the romantic descriptions and dreams of which, his son settled the estate in the 19th century. There was a temple of Neptune, a Gothic gate, a Chinese bridge and a Turkish gazebo, a statue of the hero of the epic Kaleval Väinämeinen even the family crypt was built on the island, which was called Death Island.

The park is not only a cultural object, but a place where you can get acquainted with the nature of South Karelia: majestic granite rocks, coniferous forest, a variety of mosses and lichens.

2 days

Breakfast

Excursion to the Alvaro Aalto Library

The library building is a recognized masterpiece of world architecture, one of the first examples of modernism. Finnish architecture of the twentieth century is comfort and versatility, external laconism and a lot of open interior space, filling the rooms with natural light. All this was embodied by Alvar Aalto in the library in Vyborg.

Lunch

Excursion “Life of a medieval city” in the Viking village “Svargas”

- In this forge of Enheim you will get acquainted with the work of a blacksmith, you will be told and shown the manufacture of the most necessary household items in the Middle Ages.

- in the workshop of Varangian style you will see many exhibits on spinning, weaving, leather and pottery, flax processing and even there is a long linen grown in Svargas.

- the skills of playing ancient Daldoza and Hnefatafl will be useful, which can be learned in the summer residence of Swarlord and Swarfreya.

- a real medieval square theater on the main square of Konung in the city of Svargas!

In the hunting grounds you can shoot from a serious real bow, throw an axe and surprise everyone with its accuracy.

An indispensable action, without which in our time no trip is complete - a memorable photo in Wapenheim.

- Erlanda Shopping Shop - a place where you can buy souvenirs

3 days

Breakfast

Walking tour of Sortavala

In different years, the city visited Finnish, Swedish and Russian. This determined the architectural appearance of Sortavala, which developed at the turn of the XIX - XX centuries. In a small area of the city center there are solid buildings in the style of national romanticism, and wooden houses of the eclectic period, as well as public and residential buildings - fine examples of Finnish functionalism.

Lunch

Visit to the Ruskeala Mountain Park

This is a flooded quarry where marble was once mined. The water in the reservoir is emerald, and the rocks around are multicolored.

With the coming to power of Catherine II in Russia began a large-scale search for natural stone for the construction of St. Petersburg. The stone was also searched in the Vyborg province, including in the area of Serdobol and Ruskeala. Ruskeal marbles were widely used by architects to decorate the Marble Palace of St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the Kazan Cathedral. The local stone was used to decorate various buildings in different cities of the Soviet Union, including in Leningrad - at the metro stations "Primorskaya" and "Ladoga".

Return to Petersburg

The price includes:

• accommodation in hostels 2 nights;
• 3 lunches and 3 breakfasts;
• sightseeing tour of Vyborg;
• sightseeing tour of Sortavala;
• excursion and entrance tickets to the Monrepo Landscape Park;
• excursion and entrance tickets to the Vyborg Castle;
• interactive tour in the Viking estate “Svargas”;
• Tour and entrance tickets to Mount Paaso;
• excursion and entrance tickets to the Ruskeala Mountain Park;
• bus 50 seats on the program;
• registration of documents for the traffic police;
• 1 accompanying adult for every 10 children free of charge.