Kingisepp ( or ; ), formerly
Yamburg ,
Yam , and
Yama , is an ancient
town and the
administrative center of
Kingiseppsky District of
Leningrad Oblast,
Russia, located along the
Luga River southwest of
St. Petersburg, east of
Narva, and south of the
Gulf of Finland. Population:
History
14th century
The town was first documented in 1384, when the
Novgorodians under
Patrikas built there a fortress against the Swedes. It was called Yama or
Yamsky Gorodok, after the
Ingrian (ethnic
Finnic group) name Jaama. The environs of the town are still cited as the main location of speakers of the nearly extinct
Ingrian language. The citadel withstood sieges by the Swedes in 1395 and by the
Teutonic Knights during the 1444–1448 war.