SUMMARY:

Virtually all researchers of borderlands, independent of their specific focus, note the special status of border territories. On the one hand, the unique situation of a borderland is connected with its external and domestic isolation. On the other hand, it is also connected to the proximity of a neighboring state, which leads to mutual interaction and influences. The new, post-Soviet borderlands appear as a unique object for social research. This work explores the interrelations between Ivangorod and Narva, two cities straddling the Russian-Estonian border. The author discusses differences in the manner of creating historical images of the once unitary municipal space. At the center of the author's attention is a narrative presented in museums and in mass produced souvenirs that represent the past. The author argues that Narva and Ivangorod “look in two different directions”. Narva addresses Europe directly, while Ivangorod “looks to Russia” and participates in a domestically inspired national project. Neither the shared pre-Soviet nor the Soviet past can provide a point of mutual reference for the post-Soviet historical narratives of the two cities.