State Archives of Leningrad Oblast in Vyborg (LOGAV) Fond 1: Provincial Government of Vyborg (1744–1940)

The town of Vyborg (Viipuri) was an administrative and trade centre in Karelia that changed hands several times from the early eighteenth century; it had grown to be one of Finland’s largest cities by 1939 and had a diverse multiethnic population. Following the Winter War of 1939–1940, Vyborg was transferred to Soviet control and the entire Finnish population was rapidly evacuated. The Finnish army annexed Vyborg in 1941 and began allowing civilian resettlement soon after, but the civilian population was again re-evacuated in 1944 and Karelia became part of Leningrad Oblast, USSR. Complete administrative records for Vyborg County are available on microfilm at the Mikkeli Branch of the National Archives of Finland; records relating to women’s migration include residence permits and documentation on foreigners and their property (1731–1922); travel permits to the USSR and other countries for Finnish and foreign citizens(1915–1943); border zone permits for Finnish, foreign and former Russian citizens. (1917–1943); border zone permits and travel permits to the USSR and other countries for citizens of Finland, foreign countries and former Russia. (1918–1938); and assistance to White (i.e., non-socialist) emigrants and Soviet defectors (1919–1941). A 4-volume finding aid by Pertti Kolari is available. The collection includes data on women migrants.