:''For the fortress, see
Ivangorod fortress.''
'Ivangorod' (;
Estonian: ''Jaanilinn'') is a town in
Leningrad Oblast,
Russia. Population: 11,900 (2003 est.); 11,206 (
2002 Census). It is situated on the right bank of the
Narva River by the Russian-
Estonian border 159 km west of
St. Petersburg. The town is known for the
Ivangorod fortress.
Ivangorod is a major border crossing point and a railroad station by the
Tallinn–St. Petersburg line. It is located just opposite to the Estonian town of
Narva.
The fortress was established in 1492 during the reign of
Ivan III of
Muscovy and was named after him. Between 1581–1590 and between 1612–1704 it was controlled by
Sweden. Despite other changes in territory and sovereignty, Ivangorod was considered an administrative part of the town of Narva from 1612 until 1945.
In the aftermath of the collapse of the
Russian Empire, the newly independent
Republic of Estonia gained control over the whole town of Narva, including Ivangorod, in January 1919, and it was subsequently recognized by
Soviet Russia in the 1920
Treaty of Tartu. Having reoccupied Estonia during
World War II in 1944, the
Soviet authorities separated Ivangorod administratively from the rest of Narva, and transferred the territory to the Leningrad Oblast of the
Russian SFSR in January 1945. Ivangorod received the status of town in 1954.
After Estonia regained independence in 1991, the border as per 1920 Treaty of Tartu was considered by Russia legally superseded by an between two former
Soviet republics drawn later by the Soviet authorities. Ivangorod thus remained a part of
Russia. Due to political tensions, a new border treaty between Estonia and Russia has not yet come into force.
External links
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Official website
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Photo gallery