The restoration is based on Vyborg’s 1861 master plan, which established the park
as the central link in the historic centre’s planning structure. It extends from Market Square to Suvorov Avenue and from Lenin Avenue to Krepostnaya Street.

Esplanada Park was planned through the creative efforts of Helsingfors (Helsinki), the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland, and was organized on the site of the ramparts and moats of the old Horned Fortress in the nineteenth century. “Esplanade” literally means the space before a fortress. Its origin is a small garden near the Lutheran church, laid out at the turn of the nineteenth century by the Swedish-German parish.

URBAN ANALYSIS

HISTORY

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City streets divide the park into several zones:
the lime-tree avenue, the area around Alvar Aalto Library, the area around St. Peter and St. Paul Cathedral and the Mikael Agricola monument, the Espilä restaurant zone,
and the playground.

STYLE AND STRUCTURE

Esplanada Park was planned through the creative efforts of Helsingfors (Helsinki),
the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland, and was organized on the site of the ramparts and moats of the old Horned Fortress in the nineteenth century.

“Esplanade” literally means the space before a fortress.
Its origin is a small garden near the Lutheran church,
laid out at the turn of the nineteenth century
by the Swedish-German parish.

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The park is surrounded on all sides by buildings in the Northern Art Nouveau style, a movement formed at the turn of the twentieth century that reflected architects’ particular view of the relationship between people and the harsh northern nature.

These buildings are distinguished by expressive silhouettes and deliberate asymmetry, so each house reads as an individual, living work of architecture rather than a standard construction.

The creators of these buildings drew inspiration from the harsh and picturesque Karelian landscape, as well as Scandinavian mythology and folklore, reflected
in decorative details and the overall character
of the façades.

A masterpiece of Finnish functionalism in which the architect first embodied the principle of “flowing space,” dissolving physical and visual boundaries between the interior and its surroundings. The park became a source for the future image from which the building itself grows organically.

The restaurant combines two historic phases of its wooden predecessor: its exterior recreates the three-part silhouette of J. Blomqvist’s 1890 design with a ceremonial glazed arcade, while its strict forms draw on U. Ullberg’s 1930s functionalism.
The interior is a light Scandinavian space enriched with retro details and archival photographs, creating a harmonious park pavilion that conveys the history
of Finnish Vyborg.

The park itself is more than green space: it serves
as a compositional frame that organizes the urban environment and fully reveals the outstanding
examples of Finnish architecture located within it.

ARCHITECTURE

ALVAR AALTO LIBRARY

ESPILÄ RESTAURANT

The restoration is based on Vyborg’s 1861 master plan, which established the park
as the central link in the historic centre’s planning structure. It extends from Market Square to Suvorov Avenue and from Lenin Avenue to Krepostnaya Street.

The restaurant is located in the historic part of the park and continues the tradition
of a public pavilion, combining respect for heritage with contemporary functions.

ALVAR AALTO LIBRARY

ESPILÄ RESTAURANT

CONCLUSIONS

Esplanada is an example of nineteenth-century landscape architecture
and evidence of Vyborg’s multinational cultural heritage, as the city belonged
to Sweden, Finland, and Russia at different times.

Revived on the site of dismantled military fortifications,
its history incorporates North Scandinavian and Russian influences, becoming a distinctive cultural preserve,
a creative dialogue, and an open bridge between
northern cultures.

Park boundary
Study area boundary
Federal heritage site
Regional heritage site
Identified heritage site
Federal heritage site territory
Identified heritage site territory



Holy Family Monument
Forest Boy
Girl from Imatra
Agricola Monument
Bear Fountain
Fortune Monument

Road network
Main alleys
Main squares
Benches
Fountains
Food outlets
Bus stops
Restaurant
Library
Playgrounds




New planting
Preservation
of historic trees
Rock garden
Flower beds
Vertical landscaping

Road network
Park entrances
Park access roads
Accessible ramps
Bus stops
Parking spaces
Bicycle parking
Cycle paths
Wayfinding signs
Park fence




Aalto Library zone
Memorial zone
Walking zone
Cathedral ensemble
Restaurant and playground zone

Historic paths, 1900
Historic paths, 1939
Buildings, 1780–1850
Buildings, 1850–1950
Buildings, 1920–1945
Buildings, 1945–1955
Buildings, 1955–1990
Buildings, 1990–2015



1826–1828
1893–1940
1940–1950
1953–1960



Alvar Aalto Library
Espilä Restaurant
St. Peter and St. Paul Cathedral

HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL REFERENCE PLAN

PARK IMPROVEMENT PLAN

TRANSPORT AND PEDESTRIAN PLAN

CULTURAL HERITAGE SITES PLAN

MONUMENTS
IN THE PARK:

PROPOSED PARK LANDSCAPING:

FUNCTIONAL ZONING OF THE PARK:

PHASES OF PARK TERRITORY INTEGRATION:

BUILDINGS ON THE SITE:

Peter and Paul Cathedral

ESPILÄ restaurant

A. Aalto Library