Leningrad region > Yamburg

Yamburg

The first information about this town in Russian chronicles dates back to 1384. То protect their lands from Germans and Swedes, Novgorod residents wanted to strengthen the Luga banks. The Chronicles say: “Novgorod residents made a stone town by the Luga River, near Yam.

The Yam fortress, which was build in 1384 “in thirty and three days” on the high eastern bank of the river, had a stone wall with several towers and gates. There was a deep moat all around the fortress, and some of it can still be seen. For its time the fortress was a powerful military structure. Even in the 17th century, the famous German traveler A. Olearium noted that “the fortress (was) not too large, but has b stone walls and 8 bastions.

Fierce battles were fought here many times. In 1395-1397 Swedes tried in vain to capture the city, and in 1444-1448 the city survived the siege of German knights.

By the 15th century the town became not only a military center, but also a trade and administrative center.

After a fortress was built in 1492 in Ivangorod, the military significance of Yam decreased. The frontier between Rus and Livonia moved westward to the Narva. After the long and exhausting Livanian War of 1558- 1583, the lands around Yam were devastated.

Using the weakness of Russia after the Livanian War, the Swedes opened a military campaign against Russians. After capturing Narva and Ivangorod, they entered Yam on September 28,1581, but in accordance with the Tyavzinsky Peace Treaty, in 1595 they had to return it to Russia.

The next military conflict was not as favorable for Russia. In accordance with the Stolbovsky Peace Treaty, Yam went to Sweden. Only after the Northern War with Sweden in the ancient Russian town of Kingisepp is located on the abrupt shores of the Luga River. The town was called Yam before the 18th century, and Yamburg before 1922. Quite a few sites remind one of the history of the town, which is more than 600 years old.

By Order of Peter in 1703 the city was renamed Yambung, and in 1708 presented to Prince A. D. Menshikov. After his exile the city was returned back to the Crown.

In the second half of the 18th century, Yamburg became a provincial town. By order of Catherine the Great most of the fortress fortifications were taken down. The old stone rampart, some 600 m in length survives to this day. Parts of it can be seen in several places on the eastern bank of the Luga. Thanks to the archeological excavations led by Professor A. N. Kimichnikov, visitors to the town can now see the remnants of the towers, passages and the fortress gates.

To learn more about the history of Kingisepp, come and tour the fortress and the Kingisepp Museum of Regional History located at 1 Prospekt Karla Marxa, Kingisepp, Leningrad Region. Phone 1813) 752-7961. The museum is open every day except Monday and the last Thursday of each month from 11 am. to 6 pm.

Museum of the Fortresses and the Defense Building Museum of the Russian Northwest is located in the Leningrad Region. The museum introduces visitors to the history of defense' constructions on the territory of the region. Here you can see copies of these fortresses, photos of the current state of these architectural monuments, miniature images of the fortresses and their surroundings, engravings from 16th-17th centuries, and watercolors from the 19th century. The museum presents materials found during excavation of the Institute of Archeology of the USSR Academy of Sciences. It allows us to better understand the life of the people inside and next to the fortress and to leam more about the history of this land.

The museum is heated in Krepost, Ivangorod, Leningrad Region 188454.

The working hours are 10 a.m. -6p.m. except Monday.