A mini-essay I posted on Amazon.
This is the flag of Vyborg, known in Swedish as Viborg
and in Finnish as Viipuri. Currently Russian, the town has historically been on
disputed territory and fought over by Sweden, Finland and Russia. It's situated
on the Karelian Isthmus. Vyborg Castle was founded by the Swedes in 1293 during
one of their Northern “crusades”, ostensibly to convert the heathens of
Karelia, but actually to create a trading outpost and border fortress, directed
against Russian Novgorod. The outpost eventually turned into a settlement, and
got officially incorporated as a town in 1403. The coat of arms, showing the
letter W and three crowns, is from the same period. The three crowns are an old
symbol of Sweden.
Vyborg played an important role in Swedish history, indeed, it was often seen as one of the most important towns (despite a relatively low population) due to its function as a trade hub and potential launching pad for further military expansion eastwards. Various weird legends grew up about the Eastern Swedish bastion, for instance the claim that commander Knut Posse used black magic to defend it from a Russian attack in 1495! The event is known as the Vyborg Blast. While the Russians may indeed have been scattered by an explosion of some sort, the story certainly didn't lose anything in retelling... As in any good frontier town, Vyborg's population had the reputation for being constantly drunk, vulgar, prone to fights and sexually licentious. Priests were profaned in the middle of their preaching, and even the upper class ladies were notorious for heavy drinking and profanity (and for claiming that women could be priests).
The rest of Vyborg's tortured history need not detain us here, suffice to say is that it definitely became Russian after World War II, but still uses the Swedish-period coat of arms and a flag based on the same. Five stars!
Reconquista, when?
Vyborg played an important role in Swedish history, indeed, it was often seen as one of the most important towns (despite a relatively low population) due to its function as a trade hub and potential launching pad for further military expansion eastwards. Various weird legends grew up about the Eastern Swedish bastion, for instance the claim that commander Knut Posse used black magic to defend it from a Russian attack in 1495! The event is known as the Vyborg Blast. While the Russians may indeed have been scattered by an explosion of some sort, the story certainly didn't lose anything in retelling... As in any good frontier town, Vyborg's population had the reputation for being constantly drunk, vulgar, prone to fights and sexually licentious. Priests were profaned in the middle of their preaching, and even the upper class ladies were notorious for heavy drinking and profanity (and for claiming that women could be priests).
The rest of Vyborg's tortured history need not detain us here, suffice to say is that it definitely became Russian after World War II, but still uses the Swedish-period coat of arms and a flag based on the same. Five stars!
Reconquista, when?
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