8 Vyborgskaya St., Vyborg, Leningrad Region, Russia, 188800
The House of the Merchant Guild of the Holy Spirit is one of the most valuable monuments of Vyborg, as it is one of the few surviving examples of European medieval civil architecture.
The exact date of the house's construction is unknown, but researchers tentatively date it to the 14th century. The house was part of a medieval merchant estate, which included living quarters and utility buildings. This stone building—one of the few constructed before the city re-planning carried out in the 1640s—is considered the oldest surviving civil building in Vyborg. Both before and after the re-planning, it was located deep within the plot, surrounded by other buildings. The low, cubic-shaped house with thick walls made of granite boulders, along with similar burgher estates, a townsman’s house, and another guild house, forms the group of four medieval burgher houses—small private “fortresses” from the 14th–17th centuries, which can only be seen in Vyborg on Russian territory.
The thick walls of the building are made of unprocessed boulders. The house was originally two stories, but over time the ground level rose by about 3–4 meters, and the first floor ended up underground. The house is located near the intersection of streets that recall distant times: the former Monastery Street (now Vyborg Street) and New Zastava Street. Interestingly, before World War II, this urban plot was densely built up, and the Guild House was located deep in the courtyard of one of the houses along the red line of Monastery Street. But after the war, all the houses around this building were dismantled due to severe damage, and this oldest house remained standing!
Originally, the house was two stories: the first floor housed a goods warehouse, and the second floor with narrow windows was residential; it was accessed by an external stone staircase. In the 16th century, the house was acquired by the Merchant Guild of the Holy Spirit, and the second floor began to be used for trade negotiations and contained a hall for guild meetings and a school. There is a theory that it also served as a lazaretto for the poor and a shelter for homeless wanderers. The medieval house survived the 17th-century reconstruction, numerous wars, and was owned by different people at different times. Merchants (mainly Germans and Swedes) played an important role in medieval Vyborg: as early as the 1323 charter of the King of Sweden, it was stipulated that Vyborg had equal trading rights with Reval, and in 1527 the city officially received shipyard rights and was declared a Swedish international trading port. In 1540, there were 175 merchants in the city paying taxes. They needed a place to discuss deals. Later, the owners of the building changed; over several centuries, the ground level rose and the first floor turned into a basement, leading to the dismantling of the stone staircase. The shape of the roof also changed during later reconstructions.
By the 20th century, the house was closed off from the streets by later surrounding buildings, which were destroyed during the Soviet-Finnish wars (1939–1944); remnants of an 18th-century carriage house and the foundation of a residential building remain. In 1978, the house was restored according to a project by architect Dementyeva. Similarly, the medieval burgher estate was reconstructed. As a result of the restoration, a steep gable and a tiled ridge roof appeared, enhancing the medieval appearance. In the early 21st century, the ceramic tiles were replaced with metal ones, and then again with ceramic tiles. In European archaeological science today, this house is the most famous among all similar buildings in Vyborg. This is because archaeological excavations were conducted for several years on the field around the house. The earliest cultural layer is dated by scientists to 1420. With each archaeological season, the picture of a typical medieval urban household with a house, outbuildings (a barn, a well, a stable), and even a fruit garden becomes clearer. Also found are book clasps, fragments of pottery, clothing and footwear items, trade seals, Swedish and Tallinn coins. All the finds testify to the diverse trade connections of the city and that at that time it was at the forefront of European life. Thanks to this, theoretically, Vyborg still holds its rightful place among the historic cities of the Baltic coast. Since 2018, the Guild House has been part of the Vyborg United Museum-Reserve and is open to visitors.
Sources:
https://vbgtur.ru/info/dom-kupecheskoy-gildii
