Viipuri Province ( fi, Viipurin lääni'', commonly abbreviated'' Vpl, sv, Viborgs län or Wiborgs län, russian: Выборгская губерния) was a historical province of Finland from 1812 to 1945.

History

The predecessor of the province was

Vyborg Governorate The Vyborg Governorate was a Russian Governorate 1744–1812, which was established in territories ceded by the Swedish Empire in the Great Northern War. By the Treaty of Nystad in 1721, Sweden formally ceded control of the parts of the Viborg a ...

, which was established in 1744 from territories ceded by the

Swedish Empire The Swedish Empire was a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic region during the 17th and early 18th centuries ( sv, Stormaktstiden, "the Era of Great Power"). The beginning of the empire is usually ta ...

to Russia in 1721 (

Treaty of Nystad The Treaty of Nystad (russian: Ништадтский мир; fi, Uudenkaupungin rauha; sv, Freden i Nystad; et, Uusikaupunki rahu) was the last peace treaty of the Great Northern War of 1700–1721. It was concluded between the Tsardom of ...

) and in 1743 (

Treaty of Åbo The Treaty of Åbo or the Treaty of Turku was a peace treaty signed between the Russian Empire and Sweden in Åbo ( fi, Turku) on in the end of the Russo-Swedish War of 1741–1743. History By the end of the war, the Imperial Russian Army had ...

). These territories originated as parts of the Viborg and Nyslott County and

Kexholm County Kexholm County (, ) was a county of the Swedish Empire from 1634 to 1721, when the southern part was ceded to the Russian Empire in the Treaty of Nystad. The capital of the county was Kexholm (), which today is Priozersk. History The county ...

in 1721, and parts of the Savolax and Kymmenegård County in 1743. The governorate was also known as

Old Finland Old Finland ( fi, Vanha Suomi; rus, Ста́рая Финля́ндия, r=Staraya Finlyandiya; sv, Gamla Finland) is a name used for the areas that Russia gained from Sweden in the Great Northern War (1700–1721) and in the Russo-Swedis ...

. During the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, the

Kingdom of Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

had allied itself with the Russian Empire,

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and other parties against

Napoleonic France The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Eu ...

. However, following the

Treaty of Tilsit The Treaties of Tilsit were two agreements signed by French Emperor Napoleon in the town of Tilsit in July 1807 in the aftermath of his victory at Friedland. The first was signed on 7 July, between Napoleon and Russian Emperor Alexander, when ...

in 1807, Russia made peace with France. In 1808, supported by France, Russia successfully challenged Swedish control over Finland in the

Finnish War The Finnish War ( sv, Finska kriget, russian: Финляндская война, fi, Suomen sota) was fought between the Kingdom of Sweden and the Russian Empire from 21 February 1808 to 17 September 1809 as part of the Napoleonic Wars. As a re ...

. In the

Treaty of Fredrikshamn The Treaty of Fredrikshamn ( sv, Freden i Fredrikshamn; russian: Фридрихсгамский мирный договор), or the Treaty of Hamina ( fi, Haminan rauha), was a peace treaty concluded between Sweden and Imperial Russia on 17 ...

on September 17, 1809, Sweden was obliged to cede all its territory in Finland east of the

Torne River The Torne, also known as the Tornio ( fi, Tornionjoki, sv, Torne älv, , se, Duortneseatnu, fit, Tornionväylä), is a river in northern Sweden and Finland. For approximately half of its length, it defines the border between these two countr ...

to Russia. The ceded territories became a part of the Russian Empire and were reconstituted into the autonomic

Grand Duchy of Finland The Grand Duchy of Finland ( fi, Suomen suuriruhtinaskunta; sv, Storfurstendömet Finland; russian: Великое княжество Финляндское, , all of which literally translate as Grand Principality of Finland) was the predecess ...

, with the Russian Tsar as Grand Duke. In 1812, the territories of the

were transferred from Russia proper to the

and established as Viipuri Province. The transfer announced by Tsar

Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon 495–454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Pope Alexander I (died 115), early bishop of Rome * Pope Alexander I of Alexandria (died 320s), patriarch of ...

just before Christmas, on December 23, 1811 O.S. (January 4, 1812 N.S.), can be seen as a symbolic gesture and an attempt to appease the sentiment of the Finnish population, which had just experienced Russian conquest of their country by force. Siestarjoki was transferred to

Saint Petersburg Governorate Saint Petersburg Governorate (russian: Санкт-Петербу́ргская губе́рния, ''Sankt-Peterburgskaya guberniya''), or Government of Saint Petersburg, was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Tsardom of Russia ...

in 1864. When Finland became independent from Russia in 1917, the status of Viipuri Province remained unchanged. The provincial capital,

Vyborg Vyborg (; rus, Вы́борг, links=1, r=Výborg, p=ˈvɨbərk; fi, Viipuri ; sv, Viborg ; german: Wiborg ) is a town in, and the administrative center of, Vyborgsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Karelian Isthmus n ...

( sv, Viborg, fi, Viipuri), was at this time the fourth largest city in Finland. Viipuri Province had sided with the

Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic The Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic (FSWR), more commonly referred to as Red Finland, was a self-proclaimed Finland, Finnish socialist state that ruled parts of the country during the Finnish Civil War of 1918. It was outlined on 29 January 1 ...

during the

Finnish Civil War The Finnish Civil War; . Other designations: Brethren War, Citizen War, Class War, Freedom War, Red Rebellion and Revolution, . According to 1,005 interviews done by the newspaper ''Aamulehti'', the most popular names were as follows: Civil W ...

. The Province was important to

Red Finland The Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic (FSWR), more commonly referred to as Red Finland, was a self-proclaimed Finnish socialist state that ruled parts of the country during the Finnish Civil War of 1918. It was outlined on 29 January 1918 by t ...

for the reason that it shared a border with the

Russian SFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...

which in turn could send troops and supplies to

World War II

On September 1, 1939,

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

invaded

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

and started

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. On September 17, 1939, the USSR, in accordance with the secret protocols of the

Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact was a non-aggression pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union that enabled those powers to partition Poland between them. The pact was signed in Moscow on 23 August 1939 by German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ri ...

, invaded Poland from the east. Within months, the Soviet Union launched a war against Finland. As a result of this war, Finland was forced to cede territory, including parts of Viipuri Province, to the Soviet Union in the

Moscow Peace Treaty The Moscow Peace Treaty was signed by Finland and the Soviet Union on 12 March 1940, and the ratifications were exchanged on 21 March. It marked the end of the 105-day Winter War, upon which Finland ceded border areas to the Soviet Union. The ...

in early 1940. Finland lost its natural border along the Rajajoki River ( sv, Systerbäck) in the south. 22,973 km², or 71.5 percent of the province on the

Karelian Isthmus The Karelian Isthmus (russian: Карельский перешеек, Karelsky peresheyek; fi, Karjalankannas; sv, Karelska näset) is the approximately stretch of land, situated between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga in northwestern ...

, including the cities of Viipuri and

Sortavala Sortavala (russian: Сортавала; Finnish and krl, Sortavala; sv, Sordavala); till 1918 Serdobol (russian: Сердоболь) is a town in the Republic of Karelia, Russia, located at the northern tip of Lake Ladoga near the Finnish bor ...

, became part of the newly established Karelo-Finnish SSR in the Soviet Union. Following the peace treaty, the entire population of the ceded territories, more than four hundred thousand people, was evacuated to central Finland. In 1941 the

Continuation War The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet-Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1944, as part of World War II.; sv, fortsättningskriget; german: Fortsetzungskrieg. A ...

broke out and Finland recaptured the territories, but in 1944 its forces were pushed back and by the

Moscow Armistice The Moscow Armistice was signed between Finland on one side and the Soviet Union and United Kingdom on the other side on 19 September 1944, ending the Continuation War. The Armistice restored the Moscow Peace Treaty of 1940, with a number of mo ...

on September 19, 1944, and the

Paris Peace Treaty The Paris Peace Treaties (french: Traités de Paris) were signed on 10 February 1947 following the end of World War II in 1945. The Paris Peace Conference lasted from 29 July until 15 October 1946. The victorious wartime Allied powers (princi ...

in 1947 the territorial losses were confirmed again. Winter war evacuees had returned following the Finnish offensive in 1941 and were evacuated again in 1944 after the Soviet counterattack, and the territories were repopulated by people from other parts of the Soviet Union. This time, the Karelian Isthmus became part of the Vyborgsky and Priozersky districts of the

Leningrad Oblast Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, although it was not until 194 ...

, and only

Ladoga Karelia Ladoga Karelia ( fi, Laatokan Karjala, russian: Ладожская Карелия, Ladožskaja Karelija, Карельское Приладожье, ''Karelskoje Priladožje'' or Северное Приладожье, ''Severnoje Priladožje'') is a ...

and Border Karelia became part of the Karelo-Finnish SSR. While Ladoga Karelia retained most of its original

toponyms Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

, the vast majority of toponyms in the Karelian Isthmus were renamed by the Soviet government around 1948. In 1945 the parts of the province that remained in Finnish hands were renamed Kymi Province, with its center at

Kouvola Kouvola () is a city and municipality in southeastern Finland. It is located along the Kymijoki River in the region of Kymenlaakso, kilometers east of Lahti, west of Lappeenranta and northeast of the capital, Helsinki. With Kotka, Kouvola is ...

. The Kymi Province was in turn merged with other provinces into the larger

Southern Finland Province Southern Finland ( fi, Etelä-Suomen lääni, sv, Södra Finlands län) was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2009. It bordered the provinces of Western Finland and Eastern Finland. It also bordered the Gulf of Finland and Russia. History ...

in 1997.

Maps

Coat of Arms of Viipuri Province.svg, Coat of arms between 1812 and 1917 Viipurin lääni.vaakuna.svg, Coat of arms after 1917

Economy

The area had a well-developed economy due to its proximity to

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, the capital of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

. In 1856

Saimaa Canal The Saimaa Canal ( fi, Saimaan kanava; sv, Saima kanal; russian: Сайменский канал) is a transportation canal that connects lake Saimaa with the Gulf of Finland near Vyborg, Russia. The canal was built from 1845 to 1856 and opene ...

(russian: Сайменский канал, Saymensky kanal) was opened, linking

Lake Saimaa Saimaa ( , ; sv, Saimen) is a lake located in the Finnish Lakeland area in southeastern Finland. At approximately , it is the largest lake in Finland, and the fourth largest natural freshwater lake in Europe. The name Saimaa likely comes from a ...

and

Finnish Lakeland Finnish Lakeland or Finnish lake district ( fi, Järvi-Suomi, "Lake Finland", sv, Insjöfinland) is the largest of the four landscape regions into which the geography of Finland is divided. The hilly, forest-covered landscape of the lake plat ...

to the

Vyborg Bay Vyborg Bay (, , ) is a deep inlet running northeastward near the eastern end of Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea. The city of Vyborg is located near the head of the gulf. The Monrepos Park is considered a jewel of the bay and a major draw f ...

. The development of the province was bolstered further by the construction of the Saint Petersburg–Riihimäki railroad in 1870, the Viborg–Joensuu railroad in 1894 and the Petrograd–Hiitola railroad in 1917.

Granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

(in Ruskeala) and

bog iron Bog iron is a form of impure iron deposit that develops in bogs or swamps by the chemical or biochemical oxidation Redox (reduction–oxidation, , ) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of substrate change. O ...

mining as well as logging were important branches of industry. Starting from the beginning of the 20th century, a number of hydroelectric power plants were built by Enso in the higher reaches of the River Vuoksi to supply its

pulp and paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt ...

Administrative divisions

Local districts

In Finnish ''kihlakunta'', in Swedish ''härad''. *Ranta sv, Stranda *Äyräpää sv, Äyräpää *Käkisalmi sv, Kexholm * Kurkijoki sv, Kronoborg now usually transliterated into English as Kurkiyoki (Куркиёки) *Kymi sv, Kymmene *Lappee sv, Lappvesi *Salmi sv, Salmis *Sortavala sv, Sordavala *Jääski sv, Jäskis.

Cities, towns and municipalities in 1939

Those which were ceded to the Soviet Union during World War II are given ''in italics''. Cities * Hamina

Hamina - Fredrikshamn * Kotka

Kotka Kotka (; ; la, Aquilopolis) is a city in the southern part of the Kymenlaakso province on the Gulf of Finland. Kotka is a major port and industrial city and also a diverse school and cultural city, which was formerly part of the old Kymi parish ...

*''

Käkisalmi Priozersk (russian: Приозе́рск; fi, Käkisalmi; sv, Kexholm) is a town and the administrative center of Priozersky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located at the northwestern shore of Lake Ladoga, at the estuary of the northern ...

- Kexholm'' *

Lappeenranta Lappeenranta (; sv, Villmanstrand) is a city and municipality in the region of South Karelia, about from the Russian border and from the town of Vyborg (''Viipuri''). It is situated on the shore of the Lake Saimaa in southeastern Finland, and ...

- Villmanstrand
website
*''

- Sordavala''
website
*'' Viipuri - Viborg''
website 1website 2
Towns * Kouvola

*'' Koivisto - Björkö''
website
*''

Lahdenpohja Lahdenpohja (russian: Лахденпо́хья; Finnish and Swedish: Lahdenpohja; krl, Lahdenpohju) is a town and the administrative center of Lakhdenpokhsky District of the Republic of Karelia, Russia, located west of Petrozavodsk on the Au ...

''
website
*

Lauritsala Lauritsala () is a former Finnish market town in the South Karelia region. It was closed down on 1 January 1967 and was incorporated into Lappeenranta. The present district of Lauritsala comprises only the center of the former town. History L ...

(merged into

in 1967) Rural municipalities Finnish/Swedish name. Main village with the same name unless otherwise noted. *'' Antrea - S:t Andree''
website
* Haapasaari - Aspö (merged into

in 1974) *'' Harlu''
website
*'' Heinjoki''
website
*''

Hiitola Khiytola (russian: Хийтола; fi, Hiitola) is a rural locality (a settlement) in Lakhdenpokhsky District of the Republic of Karelia, Russia. History The Finnish name of the settlement (Hiitola) derives from "Hiisi", the name of a forest spi ...

''
website
*'' Impilahti - Impilax''
website
*'' Jaakkima''
website
*''

Johannes Johannes is a Medieval Latin form of the personal name that usually appears as "John" in English language contexts. It is a variant of the Greek and Classical Latin variants (Ιωάννης, ''Ioannes''), itself derived from the Hebrew name '' Yeh ...

''
website
- ''S:t Johannes'' *

Joutseno Joutseno () is a former town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the South Karelia region. The municipality was unilingually Finnish. Joutseno was consolidated with Lappeenranta on 1 Ja ...

(merged into

in 2009
website
*''

Jääski Lesogorsky (russian: Лесого́рский; fi, Jääski; sv, Jäskis) is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) in Vyborgsky District of Leningrad Oblast, located on the left bank of the Vuoksi River, on the Karelian Isthmus, near th ...

- Jäskis'' (partially lost, the rest incorporated into

Imatra Imatra is a town and municipality in southeastern Finland. Imatra is dominated by Lake Saimaa, the Vuoksi River and the border with Russia. On the other side of the border, away from the centre of Imatra, lies the Russian town of Svetogorsk. ...

and

Ruokolahti Ruokolahti (; sv, Ruokolax; literally translated the "Reed Bay") is a municipality of Finland, situated in south-eastern Finland, in the region of South Karelia. Neighbouring municipalities are Imatra, Lappeenranta, Taipalsaari, Puumala, Sulkava, ...

in 1948) *'' Kanneljärvi''
website
*'' Kaukola''
website
*'' Kirvu - Kirvus''
website
*'' Kivennapa - Kivinebb''
website
*'' Koiviston maalaiskunta - Björkö landkommun (Koivisto rural commune)''
website
*'' Korpiselkä'' (partially lost, the rest incorporated into

Tuupovaara Tuupovaara (''Kovero'' until 1913) is a former municipality of Finland, located in the province of North Karelia. It was consolidated, together with Kiihtelysvaara, into the municipality of Joensuu on January 1, 2005. The municipality had a popu ...

in 1946)
website
*'' Kuolemajärvi''
website
*'' Kurkijoki - Kronoborg''
website
* Kymi - Kymmene (merged into

in 1977) *'' Käkisalmen maalaiskunta - Kexholms landkommun (Käkisalmi rural commune)'' *

Lappee Lappee is an old parish and a former municipality of Finland in the South Karelia region, originally in the Viipuri Province and after the Second World War, the Kymi Province. It was consolidated with Lappeenranta in 1967 together with Lauritsala ...

(merged into

in 1967) - Lappvesi *''

Lavansaari Moshchny (russian: Мощный; fi, Lavansaari; sv, Lövskär, et, Lavassaar) is an island in the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, located some 120 km west of Saint Petersburg. The island is a part of the Leningrad Oblast, Russia. The ar ...

- Lövskär''
website
*

Lemi Lemi is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the South Karelia region. The municipality has a population of (), which make it the smallest municipality in South Karelia in terms of population. It covers an area of of which is water. The ...

- Klemis *'' Lumivaara''
website
*

Luumäki Luumäki () is a municipality of Finland. Its seat is in the Taavetti village. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the South Karelia region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is ...

*'' Metsäpirtti''
website
*

Miehikkälä Miehikkälä is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Kymenlaakso region. The municipality has a population of (), which make it the smallest municipality in Kymenlaakso in terms of popula ...

*'' Muolaa - Mohla ( Kyyrölä merged into Muolaa in 1934)''
website
*

Nuijamaa Nuijamaa (; literally translated the " club land") is a former municipality in the province of South Karelia in Finland. The municipality had inhabitants and an area of 136 km² in 1988. Nuijamaa was a Finnish-speaking municipality. Nuija ...

(merged into

in 1989) *

Parikkala Parikkala () is a municipality of Finland located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the South Karelia region, from Lappeenranta and from Joensuu. The town center of Parikkala is about from the Russian border. The municipality ...

website
*

Pyhtää Pyhtää ( sv, Pyttis) is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Kymenlaakso region, west of the city of Kotka. Overview The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Th ...

- Pyttis *''

Pyhäjärvi Pyhäjärvi (1993–1995 ''Pyhäsalmi'') is a town and municipality in the south of Northern Ostrobothnia region, Finland. Pyhäjärvi also borders the Northern Savonia and Central Finland regions. The town belongs to the subregion of Nivala–Ha ...

''
website
*

Rautjärvi Rautjärvi () is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the South Karelia region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . M ...

website
*'' Rautu - Rautus''
website
*

- Ruokolax
website
*'' Ruskeala'' *'' Räisälä''
website
* Saari (merged into

in 2005)
website
*'' Sakkola''
website
*'' Salmi - Salmis''
website
*

Savitaipale Savitaipale (; literally translated the "clay passage") is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the South Karelia region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The ...

*''

Seiskari Seskar ( fi, Seiskari) ( sv, Seitskär) (russian: Сескар) is an island in the Gulf of Finland, part of the Leningrad Oblast of Russia. The island was an independent municipality of Finland populated by Finns at least since 16th century, unt ...

- Seitskär'' * Simpele (merged into

in 1973) *

Sippola Kouvola () is a city and municipality in southeastern Finland. It is located along the Kymijoki River in the region of Kymenlaakso, kilometers east of Lahti, west of Lappeenranta and northeast of the capital, Helsinki. With Kotka, Kouvola is on ...

(merged into Anjalankoski in 1975) *'' Soanlahti'' *'' Sortavalan maalaiskunta - Sordavala landkommun (Sortavala rural commune)'' *'' Suistamo''
website
*'' Suojärvi''
website
* Suomenniemi *'' Suursaari - Hogland'' *'' Säkkijärvi'' (partially lost, the rest incorporated into

and

Ylämaa Ylämaa (; literally translated the "Highland") is a former municipality of Finland, located in the province of Southern Finland as part of the South Karelia region. It was consolidated with Lappeenranta on January 1, 2010.Taipalsaari Taipalsaari is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the South Karelia region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Nei ...

*'' Terijoki''
website
*''

Tytärsaari Bolshoi Tyuters (russian: Большой Тютерс; fi, Tytärsaari; et, Suur Tütarsaar; sv, Tyterskär) is an island in the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, located away from the coast of Finland, to the south-east from Hogland. The ...

- Tytärskär'' *

Uukuniemi Uukuniemi is a former municipality of Finland. It was located in the province of Southern Finland and was part of the South Karelia region. The municipality had a population of 516 (2003) and it covered an area of 156.58 km² of which 54.8 ...

(merged into

in 2005)
website
*'' Uusikirkko - Nykyrka''
website
*'' Vahviala'' (partially lost, the rest incorporated into

and

Ylämaa Ylämaa (; literally translated the "Highland") is a former municipality of Finland, located in the province of Southern Finland as part of the South Karelia region. It was consolidated with Lappeenranta on January 1, 2010.Valkeala Valkeala is a former municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Southern Finland, and is a neighborhood of city of Kouvola, and it was a part of the Kymenlaakso region. The municipality had a population of 11,238 (2003) and cove ...

(merged into

in 2009 *'' Valkjärvi''
website
*

Vehkalahti Vehkalahti () is a former municipality surrounding the town of Hamina in south-eastern Finland. At the beginning of 2003 Hamina and Vehkalahti combined to form a new town of Hamina. History These southern parts of Karelia are known to be the ol ...

- Veckelax (merged into Hamina in 2003) *'' Viipurin maalaiskunta - Viborgs landkommun (Viipuri rural commune)'' *

Virolahti Virolahti (; sv, Vederlax) is the southeasternmost municipality of Finland on the border of Russia. It is located in the Kymenlaakso region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of , of which is water. The population densit ...

- Vederlax
website
*'' Vuoksela''
website
*'' Vuoksenranta'' *

Ylämaa Ylämaa (; literally translated the "Highland") is a former municipality of Finland, located in the province of Southern Finland as part of the South Karelia region. It was consolidated with Lappeenranta on January 1, 2010.Lappeenranta Lappeenranta (; sv, Villmanstrand) is a city and municipality in the region of South Karelia, about from the Russian border and from the town of Vyborg (''Viipuri''). It is situated on the shore of the Lake Saimaa in southeastern Finland, and ...

in 2010
website
*''

Äyräpää Baryshevo (russian: Барышево; fi, Pölläkkälä, Äyräpää) is a rural locality on Karelian Isthmus, in Vyborgsky District of Leningrad Oblast. It is situated on the southern shore of Vuoksi River. Until the Winter War and Contin ...

(main village - Pölläkkälä)''

Electoral districts

Following the electoral reform to the new

Parliament of Finland The Parliament of Finland ( ; ) is the unicameral and supreme legislature of Finland, founded on 9 May 1906. In accordance with the Constitution of Finland, sovereignty belongs to the people, and that power is vested in the Parliament. The ...

in 1906, the province was divided into an Eastern and a Western electoral district. Western electoral district Haapasaari, Hamina, Johannes, Kanneljärvi, Koivisto, Koiviston maalaiskunta, Kotka, Kouvola, Kuolemajärvi, Kymi, Lappee, Lappeenranta, Lauritsala, Lavansaari, Lemi, Luumäki, Miehikkälä, Nuijamaa, Pyhtää, Savitaipale, Seiskari, Sippola, Suomenniemi, Suursaari, Säkkijärvi, Taipalsaari, Tytärsaari, Uusikirkko, Vahviala, Valkeala, Vehkalahti, Viipuri, Viipurin maalaiskunta, Virolahti, Ylämaa Eastern electoral district Antrea, Harlu, Heinjoki, Hiitola, Impilahti, Jaakkima, Joutseno, Jääski, Kaukola, Kirvu, Kivennapa, Korpiselkä, Kurkijoki, Käkisalmen maalaiskunta, Käkisalmi, Lahdenpohja, Lumivaara, Metsäpirtti, Muolaa, Parikkala, Pyhäjärvi, Rautjärvi, Rautu, Ruokolahti, Ruskeala, Räisälä, Sakkola, Salmi, Simpele, Soanlahti, Sortavala, Sortavalan maalaiskunta, Suistamo, Suojärvi, Terijoki, Uukuniemi, Valkjärvi, Vuoksela, Vuoksenranta, Äyräpää

Gallery

Governors

Governors of the Viipuri Province 1812-1945: * Carl Johan Stjernvall 1812-1815 * Carl Johan Walleen 1816-1820 * Otto Wilhelm Klinckowström 1820-1821 (acting) and 1821-1825 * Carl August Ramsay 1825-1827 (acting) and 1827–1834 *

Carl Gustaf Mannerheim Carl Gustaf Mannerheim may refer to: * Carl Gustaf Mannerheim (naturalist) (1797–1854), Finnish entomologist and governor * Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (1867–1951), soldier, statesman, and President of Finland; grandson of the entomologist { ...

1834-1839 * Fredric Stewen 1839-1844 * Casimir von Kothen 1844-1846 (acting) and 1846–1853 * Alexander Thesleff 1853-1856 * Bernhard Indrenius 1856-1866 * Christian Theodor Åker-Blom 1866-1882 *

Woldemar von Daehn Woldemar Carl von Daehn (20 February 1838 in Sippola – 28 December 1900) was a Finnish politician. He was a member of the Senate of Finland and Minister–Secretary of State for Finland. Biography His family was originally from Braunschweig ...

1882-1885 * Sten Carl Tudeer 1885-1888 (acting) and 1888–1889 *

Johan Axel Gripenberg Johan * Johan (given name) * ''Johan'' (film), a 1921 Swedish film directed by Mauritz Stiller * Johan (band), a Dutch pop-group ** ''Johan'' (album), a 1996 album by the group * Johan Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada * Jo-Han, a man ...

1889-1899 *

Nikolai von Rechenberg Nikolai von Rechenberg (4 November 1846 Saint Petersburg – 22 November 1908 Saint Petersburg) was a Finnish lieutenant general serving in the Imperial Russian Army. He was the Governor of Viipuri Province between 1900 and 1902 and for the second ...

1900-1902 * Nikolai Mjasojedov 1902-1905 * Konstantin Kazansky 1905 (acting) and 1905 * Mikael von Medem 1905-1906 (acting) *

1906-1907 * Birger Gustaf Samuel von Troil 1907-1910 * Frans Carl Fredrik Josef von Pfaler 1910-1917 * Vilho Sarkanen (acting) 1917 * Valfrid Suhonen (acting) 1917-1918 * Antti Hackzell 1918-1920 *

Lauri Kristian Relander Lauri Kristian Relander (, ; 31 May 1883 – 9 February 1942) was the second president of Finland (1925–1931). A prominent member of the Agrarian League, he served as a member of Parliament, and as Speaker, before his election as President. ...

1920-1925 * Arvo Manner 1925-1945 Both the second President of Finland

and

, grandfather of the sixth President, Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, were governors of Viipuri province.

Notable people

People born in Viipuri Province between 1812 and 1917, when it was part of the

Carl Jaenisch Carl Ferdinand von Jaenisch (russian: Карл Андреевич Яниш, ''Karl Andreyevich Yanish''; April 11, 1813 – March 7, 1872) was a Finnish and Russian chess player and theorist. In the 1840s, he was among the top players in the ...

(1813–1872) Finnish and Russian chess player and theorist * Stephen Wäkevä (1833 in Säkkijärvi - 1910) Russian silversmith of Finnish origin, Fabergé workmaster *

Julius Krohn Julius Leopold Fredrik Krohn (19 April 1835 – 28 August 1888) was a Finnish folk poetry researcher, professor of Finnish literature, poet, hymn writer, translator and journalist. He was born in Viipuri and was of Baltic German origin. Krohn wo ...

(1835, Viipuri - 1888) Finnish poetry researcher, professor of

Finnish literature Finnish literature refers to literature written in Finland. During the European early Middle Ages, the earliest text in a Finnic language is the unique thirteenth-century Birch bark letter no. 292 from Novgorod. The text was written in Cyri ...

and

Fennoman The Fennoman movement or Fennomania was a Finnish nationalist movement in the 19th-century Grand Duchy of Finland, built on the work of the ''fennophile'' interests of the 18th and early-19th centuries. History After the Crimean War, Fennoma ...

Leo Mechelin Leopold (Leo) Henrik Stanislaus Mechelin (24 November 1839 in Hamina, Finland – 26 January 1914 in Helsinki, Finland) was a Finnish politician, professor, liberal reformer and businessman. A leading defender of the autonomy of the Grand Duch ...

(1839 in Hamina – 1914) Finnish professor, statesman, senator and liberal reformer * Kaarlo Bergbom (1843, Viipuri – 1906) theatre director, founded the

Finnish National Theatre The Finnish National Theatre ( fi, Suomen Kansallisteatteri), established in 1872, is a theatre located in central Helsinki on the northern side of the Helsinki Central Railway Station Square. The Finnish National Theatre is the oldest Finnish ...

* Lydia Sesemann (1845–1925) Finnish doctor of chemistry *

Alexandra Gripenberg Alexandra Gripenberg, also known as Alexandra van Grippenberg, (1857 – 24 December 1913) was a Finnish social activist, author, editor, newspaper publisher, and elected politician, and was a leading voice within the movement for women's rights ...

(1857, Kurkiyoki innish ''Kurkijoki''- 1913) Finnish social activist, newspaper publisher and

* Ernst Löfström (1865–1937) Finnish general * Gustaf Komppa (1867, Viipuri – 1949), Finnish chemist *

Armas Järnefelt Edvard Armas Järnefelt (14 August 1869 – 23 June 1958), was a Finnish conductor and composer, who achieved some minor success with his orchestral works ''Berceuse'' and ''Praeludium''. He spent much of his conducting career at the Royal Sw ...

(1869, Viipuri – 1958), Finnish composer and conductor *

Magnus Enckell Knut Magnus Enckell (9 November 1870 in Hamina – 27 November 1925 in Stockholm) was a Finnish symbolist painter. At first he painted with a subdued palette, but from 1902 onwards used increasingly bright colors. He was a leading member of the ...

(1870 in Hamina – 1925) Finnish symbolist painter *

Georg Schnéevoigt Georg Lennart Schnéevoigt (8 November 1872 – 28 November 1947) was a Finnish conductor and cellist, born in Vyborg, Grand Duchy of Finland, which is now in Russia, to Ernst Schnéevoigt and Rosa Willandt. Career Schnéevoigt began his ...

(1872–1947) Finnish conductor and cellist *

Hugo Simberg Hugo Gerhard Simberg (24 June 1873 – 12 July 1917) was a Finnish symbolist painter and graphic artist. Life and career Simberg was born on 24 June 1873, at Hamina (in the original Swedish: ''Fredrikshamn''), Finland, the son of Colonel Nico ...

(1873–1917) Finnish symbolist painter and graphic artist. *

Erkki Melartin Erkki Gustaf Melartin (7 February 1875, Käkisalmi – 14 February 1937, Helsinki) was a Finnish composer, conductor, and teacher of the late-Romantic and early-modern periods. Melartin is generally considered to be one of Finland's most sign ...

(1875 in Käkisalmi – 1937) Finnish composer *

Ernst Mielck Ernst Leopold Christian Mielck (24 October 187722 October 1899) was a Finnish composer and pianist of the late Romantic period. A precocious but sickly youth, his promising career was cut short in its infancy when he died of consumption ...

(1877 in Viipuri – 1899), Finnish composer *

Onni Talas Onni Eugen Aleksander Talas (15 June 1877 – 3 May 1958; till 1895 Gratschoff) was a Finnish lawyer, politician, professor and diplomat, and was a member of the Senate of Finland. Talas was born in Lappeenranta. He was the Chargé d'affaires ...

(1877 in Lappeenranta — 1958) Finnish lawyer, politician, professor and diplomat *

Aino Kallas Aino Krohn Kallas (2 August 1878 – 9 November 1956) was a Finnish-Estonian author. Her novellas are considered to be prominent pieces of Finnish literature.Uno Ullberg Uno Werner Ullberg (15 February 1879 in Viipuri – 12 January 1944 in Helsinki) was a famous Finnish architect. Background Educated in Helsinki, Ullberg returned to his home town Viipuri in 1906. He drew most of his buildings in Viipuri, bu ...

(1879, Viipuri – 1944), Finnish architect *

(1883, Kurkiyoki – 1942), second President of Finland * Kersti Bergroth (1886–1975) Finnish author and playwright. * Algoth Niska (1888, Viipuri – 1954), a Finnish bootlegger, footballer and adventurer *

Juho Niukkanen Juho Niukkanen (27 July 1888 in Kirvu – 17 May 1954 in Helsinki) was a Finnish politician prior to, during, and after the Winter War. He was a member of parliament from 1916 to 1933 and again from 1936 to 1954, and represented the Agrarian Par ...

(1888 in Kirvu – 1954), Finnish minister *

Karl Lennart Oesch Karl Lennart Oesch (8 August 1892 – 28 March 1978) was one of Finland's leading generals during World War II. He held a string of high staff assignments and front commands, and at the end of the Continuation War commanded three Finnish army cor ...

(1892 in Pyhäjärvi – 1978), Finnish general * Elsa Arokallio (1892 in Kurkiyoki - 1982) Finnish architect *

Edwin Linkomies Edwin Johannes Hildegard Linkomies (22 December 1894 – 9 September 1963, until 1928 ''Edwin Flinck)'' was Prime Minister of Finland from March 1943 to August 1944, and one of the seven politicians sentenced to five and a half years in pris ...

(1894, Viipuri – 1963), Prime Minister of Finland * Väinö Kunnas (1896-1929) Finnish Expressionist painter * Saara Ranin (1898 in Hamina – 1992) Finnish actress and director *

Tyyne Leivo-Larsson Tyyne Lilja Leivo-Larsson (née Leivo; 3 March 1902 Uusikirkko – 1 August 1977 Helsinki) was a Finnish Ambassador and MP. She was the first Finnish woman to serve as Ambassador in Oslo from 1958 to 1966 and as Envoy to Reykjavík in 1958–1964 ...

(1902 in Uusikirkko – 1977) Finnish Ambassador and MP * Cay Sundström (1902 in Hamina - 1959) Finnish dentist, politician and diplomat *

Simo Häyhä Simo Häyhä (; 17December 1905 1April 2002), often referred to by his nickname, The White Death ( fi, Valkoinen kuolema; russian: Белая смерть, Belaya smert’), was a Finnish military sniper in World War II during the 1939–1940 Wi ...

(born 1905, Rautjärvi - 2002), Finnish soldier *

Helvi Hämäläinen Helvi Hämäläinen (16 June 1907 – 17 January 1998) was a Finnish writer who published dozens of books of prose and poetry during her six decade writing career. Biography Helvi Heleena Hämäläinen was born in Hamina, 16 June 1907. She moved ...

(1907 in Hamina – 1998) Finnish author, published prose and poetry *

Viljo Vesterinen Viljo "Vili" Vesterinen (26 March 1907 in Terijoki – 18 May 1961 in Helsinki) was a Finnish accordionist and composer. Vesterinen studied piano and cello in Vyborg Music Institute, but as an accordionist he was self-taught. Vesterinen mainl ...

(1907 in Terijoki – 1961) Finnish accordionist and composer. *

Sam Vanni Sam Vanni (till 1941 Samuel Besprosvanni; 6 July 1908 – 20 October 1992) was a Finnish painter. He is considered to be the pioneer of abstract art in Finland.abstract art *

Veikko Lavi Toivo Veikko Vepa Lavi (23 April 1912, in Kotka – 22 May 1996, in Hamina) was a Finnish singer, songwriter and author. Lavi made his first album in the early 1950s and became popular again in the late 1960s. His best known hit was perhaps '' J ...

(1912 in Kotka – 1996) Finnish singer, songwriter and author * Harry Lindblad (1912–1984) President of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association *

Armi Ratia Armi Maria Ratia née Airaksinen (13 July 1912 – 3 October 1979) was the co-founder of the Finnish textile and clothing company Marimekko Oy. She is among Finland's most famous female entrepreneurs. She was born in Pälkjärvi in Ladoga Karel ...

(1912 Pälkjärvi – 1979) founder of the Finnish textile and clothing company

Marimekko Marimekko Oyj is a Finnish textiles, clothing, and home furnishings company founded by Viljo and Armi Ratia in Helsinki in 1951. Marimekko made important contributions to fashion in the 1960s. It is particularly noted for its brightly colored pri ...

Sylvi Saimo Sylvi Riitta Saimo (née ''Sikiö'', 12 November 1914 – 12 March 2004) was a Finnish sprint canoeist, farmer and politician. She was the first female Finnish Olympic Champion at the Summer Olympics, winning a gold medal in K-1 500 m at the 195 ...

(1914 in Jaakkima – 2004) Finnish sprint canoeist, gold medalist,

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

Wassily Hoeffding Wassily Hoeffding (June 12, 1914 – February 28, 1991) was a Finnish statistician and probabilist. Hoeffding was one of the founders of nonparametric statistics, in which Hoeffding contributed the idea and basic results on U-statistics. In pro ...

(1914 in Mustamäki – 1991) Finnish statistician and probabilist *

Johannes Virolainen Johannes Virolainen (; 31 January 1914 – 11 December 2000) was a Finnish politician and who served as 30th Prime Minister of Finland. Virolainen was born near Viipuri. After the Continuation War Virolainen moved to Lohja, but he remained one ...

(1914 near Viipuri - 2000), 30th

Prime Minister of Finland The prime minister of Finland ( fi, Suomen pääministeri; ) is the leader of the Finnish Government. The prime minister and their cabinet exercise executive authority in the state. The prime minister is formally Finnish order of precedence, r ...

Masa Niemi Martti "Masa" Elis Niemi (20 July 1914 – 3 May 1960) was a Finnish actor. Career Niemi started his career as a drummer, but became popular as a comedian. He is most famous for his role as "Pätkä" (in English: Stub) in all thirteen ori ...

(1914, Viipuri – 1960) drummer, actor and comedian * Mikhail Bogdanov (1914–1995) a Soviet

production designer In film and television, the production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Wo ...

* Ester Toivonen (1914 in Hamina — 1979)

Miss Finland Miss Suomi ( Finnish for ''Miss Finland'') is a national beauty pageant in Finland. The pageant was founded in 1931, where the winners were sent to Miss Universe. History Miss Suomi was held for the first time in 1931. Between 1952 and 1955 t ...

in 1933,

Miss Europe Miss Europe is a beauty pageant for European women from all over Europe. It was established in February 1927 by Fanamet, the European distributor of Paramount, as a one-off event where the winner was to star in a film directed by Friedrich ...

1934, then film star * Erna Tauro (1916–1993) Finnish-Swedish pianist and composer For people born after 1917 in

External links

Luovutettu Karjala
Ceded Karelia. Website *Sopanen, Olli-Matti.
Viipurin läänin historiallinen bibliografia, 1812-1944
Temaattinen kirjallisuusluettelo Suomen autonomian ja itsenäisyyden ajan Viipurin lääniä käsittelevistä teoksista''.

University of Joensuu The University of Eastern Finland ( fi, Itä-Suomen yliopisto) is a university in Finland founded in 2010 with campuses in Joensuu and Kuopio. History The Finnish Parliament passed the Universities Act on June 16, 2009, which, among other thing ...

, 2004. *Knipovich, Nikolay
Vyborg gubernia
'' Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary''.
История селений
ИКО "Карелия" {{Authority control History of the Karelian Isthmus History of Vyborg Provinces of Finland (1917–97) Viipuri 1812 establishments in the Russian Empire

History

World War II

Maps

Economy

Administrative divisions

Local districts

Cities, towns and municipalities in 1939

Electoral districts

Gallery

Governors

Notable people

See also

Further reading

External links