Primorsk (; ; ) is a coastal town in Vyborgsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, and the largest Russian port on the Baltic. It is located on the Karelian Isthmus, west of Saint Petersburg, at the northern coast of the Gulf of Finland, near Birch Islands, protected as a sea bird sanctuary. Population: 5,500 (2005 est.);

History

Primorsk was first attested in Russian chronicles as Beryozovskoye (, lit. birch village) in 1268, when the German merchants from Gotland petitioned the Novgorod Republic to secure their passage to the Neva River. Swedes annexed the region during the Third Swedish Crusade. The Russians retook the islands at the close of the Great Northern War in 1721. Thereupon the city shared the fate of the Karelian Isthmus.

Primorsk evolved in the 20th century as an outport for the town of Vyborg. It was captured by the Soviets on 18 June 1944 and transferred as part of the Paris Peace treaty. The town was renamed Primorsk in 1948

Economy

It is the site of the largest Baltic Sea oil terminal. It was developed by the Putin administration as a terminus of the Baltic Pipeline System at a cost of two billion US dollars. The terminal started to operate in December 2001, supplanting Ventspils and other foreign rivals within one year.. The town is onthe railway line linking St Petersburg to Vyborg and is also linked by bus to other localities nearby.

Primorsk Oil Port