Kingisepp is a Russian town (since 1784), the administrative center of Kingisepp District of the Leningrad Region. It is located r, 130 km away from St. Petersburg. The town stands on the banks of the Luga River, at the 40 km distance from its confluence into the Gulf of Finland.

It is a railroad station on the Saint Petersburg – Tallinn line.

The overall area of Kingisepp makes 44 sq. km.

It was founded as fortress Yam by the Novgorod boyar Ivan Fedorovich in 1384. From 1703 to 1922 the town was known as Yamburg until it was renamed after the Estonian revolutionary Viktor Kingissepp.

During the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45 the town was occupied by Nazi troops on August 16, 1941. It was released on February 1, 1944 by the Leningrad Frontline forces in the Leningrad- Novgorod operation.

Architecture and Sights

The fortress dismantled in the 2nd half of the 18th century has still preserved its high ramparts and remains of walls.

According to the plan of 1780 the town got a regular layout. On the trading 8-angle square (its project attributed to the architect Rinaldi) there are 2 buildings of shopping arcade (built in 1835) and the arena (1836) preserved.

Another monument is a 5-headed Baroque Cathedral (designed by the architects Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, and Antonio Rinaldi in 1782). It has an equilateral cross with rounded ends at its base and a multi-tiered bell tower.

New blocks of houses are stretched along the highway.