Vyborg is an atmospheric town where eras and cultures blend together. At different times it was ruled by Sweden, Finland and Russia. It has a real medieval castle, and the streets of the old town breathe history. Vyborg is the place to go if you want an unforgettable weekend. This route was designed specially for the BelkaCar car-sharing service.
Lallukka House
🏟️ Architectural landmark
Bank of Finland Building
🏟️ Architectural landmark · 📜 Historic site
Market Square
⛲ Square
Round Tower
🏯 Fortress remains · 📜 Historic site
Burgher's Estate
🏟️ Architectural landmark · 📜 Historic site
Church of St. Hyacinth (Knights' House)
🏛️ Museum
Hackman House (Granite Palace)
🏟️ Architectural landmark
Old Town Hall Square
⛲ Square · 🏟️ Architectural landmark · 📜 Historic site
Vyborg Castle and St. Olaf's Tower
🏛️ Museum · 🏟️ Architectural landmark · 📜 Historic site · 🔭 Viewpoint
Clock Tower
🏟️ Architectural landmark · 📜 Historic site · 🔭 Viewpoint
Burgher's House: Russia's Oldest Residential Building
🕵️ Urban legend
Vyborg Tram
🎨 Art installations
Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul
🕍 Place of worship
Cathedral Square and Transfiguration Cathedral
🕍 Place of worship · ⛲ Square
Alvar Aalto Library
🏙 Modern architecture
Red Square
⛲ Square
Point 7
🏟️ Architectural landmark
This is the former head office of Hackman & Co. in Vyborg, built in the Nordic Art Nouveau style in 1907–1908. The building was badly damaged during the Soviet-Finnish War and World War II and was repaired after the war with departures from the original design. In 1906 two young architects, Uno Ullberg and Axel Gyldén, opened their own architectural firm in Vyborg. This house was one of their first commissions.
Hackman & Co. was one of Vyborg's oldest and largest timber and trading companies. It was founded by J. Hackman, a German merchant from Bremen. The Hackmans settled in Vyborg and became one of the town's richest and most influential families, also known as patrons of the arts. Thanks to its unusual look, the Granite Palace is far better known than another Hackman building put up a little earlier in the neighboring block — the Hackman apartment house.
The facades are clad in local natural stone, which is where the nickname “Granite Palace” comes from. The architects left their signature in the masonry: you can find a granite block bearing their names, “A. Gyldén – U. Ullberg”. The Granite Palace is a two-story building with an asymmetrical facade faced with granite slabs. Its look harmonizes with the masonry of the town's main sight, Vyborg Castle, and with other old buildings in the historic center. The design is quite unusual: the ground floor has semicircular windows with medallions, and the upper floor has triangular pediments with scrolls. The facades are decorated with reliefs of dates important to the place: 1790, the year the company was founded, and 1816, the year the Hackman trademark appeared. Besides these dates, the facade features animals, birds and plants typical of Art Nouveau, as well as a sailing ship right above the main entrance. Experts believe the interiors were just as luxurious and beautiful as the facades. Sadly, there's no way to check today: the building was damaged during the war, converted into apartments, and in the 1990s its residents were moved out and it was privatized. The house now stands empty, slowly deteriorating and in need of repair.
Point on route “Vyborg's Architectural Contrasts”
Point 7
🏟️ Architectural landmark
This is the former head office of Hackman & Co. in Vyborg, built in the Nordic Art Nouveau style in 1907–1908. The building was badly damaged during the Soviet-Finnish War and World War II and was repaired after the war with departures from the original design. In 1906 two young architects, Uno Ullberg and Axel Gyldén, opened their own architectural firm in Vyborg. This house was one of their first commissions.
Hackman & Co. was one of Vyborg's oldest and largest timber and trading companies. It was founded by J. Hackman, a German merchant from Bremen. The Hackmans settled in Vyborg and became one of the town's richest and most influential families, also known as patrons of the arts. Thanks to its unusual look, the Granite Palace is far better known than another Hackman building put up a little earlier in the neighboring block — the Hackman apartment house.
The facades are clad in local natural stone, which is where the nickname “Granite Palace” comes from. The architects left their signature in the masonry: you can find a granite block bearing their names, “A. Gyldén – U. Ullberg”. The Granite Palace is a two-story building with an asymmetrical facade faced with granite slabs. Its look harmonizes with the masonry of the town's main sight, Vyborg Castle, and with other old buildings in the historic center. The design is quite unusual: the ground floor has semicircular windows with medallions, and the upper floor has triangular pediments with scrolls. The facades are decorated with reliefs of dates important to the place: 1790, the year the company was founded, and 1816, the year the Hackman trademark appeared. Besides these dates, the facade features animals, birds and plants typical of Art Nouveau, as well as a sailing ship right above the main entrance. Experts believe the interiors were just as luxurious and beautiful as the facades. Sadly, there's no way to check today: the building was damaged during the war, converted into apartments, and in the 1990s its residents were moved out and it was privatized. The house now stands empty, slowly deteriorating and in need of repair.
16 points
4 km
4 hours
