Ivangorod

Ivangorod was founded in 1492 by decree of the Russian Tsar Ivan III as a border fortress on the River Narva. Since ancient times the river was used as a trade route, so the possession of these lands was very important for the Russian empire, as it provided access to the Baltic Sea.

During the Livonian War of 1558-1583, the Ivangorod fortress became a stronghold for Russian troops. However, the defeat of the Russian kingdom resulted in the town being transferred to Swedish rule.

It was only under Peter I during the Great Northern War that Ivangorod was returned to Russia. But by this time the fortress had become ineffective strategically both in technical terms and from a territorial standpoint (the boundaries of the Russian Empire had receded far to the west). For the next few centuries Ivangorod developed solely as a suburb of Narva. In 1871, the St.Petersburg-Tallinn railroad was built through Ivangorod, resulting in a slight development of industry.

During the Second World War, Ivangorod was heavily damaged by artillery fire. It was only in the 1980s that the restoration of the Ivangorod fortress as a great monument of ancient architecture began. However, this restoration was stopped in the 1990s unfinished; at the current time, the fort remains in a dilapidated condition and a lack of infrastructure prevents tourism from developing.