It was first mentioned in Russian chronicles as Beryozovskoye (Берёзовское, lit. birch settlement) in 1268, when the Hanseatic merchants from Gotland petitioned the Novgorod Republic to secure their passage to the Neva River.[11] The original Finnish name Koivisto means "a group of birch trees", "a birch forest". Swedish name Björkö means "birch island". Swedes annexed the region during the Third Swedish Crusade. Novgorod formally ceded the area to Sweden in the Treaty of Nöteborg in 1323. Thereafter Primorsk was organized under the control of the Fief of Viborg. It became a separate parish from the parish of Viborg in 1575.[12] The Russians retook the islands at the close of the Great Northern War in 1721. This was confirmed by the Treaty of Nystad in 1721.
Koivisto, together with the rest of the Karelian Isthmus, was ceded by Finland to the Soviet Union by the Moscow Peace Treaty as a result of the Winter War. It was recaptured by Finns in early September 1941 following the Soviet defeat at the Battle of Porlampi. The Finns held Koivisto during Continuation War but again ceded the town to the Soviet Union after the Moscow Armistice. This secession was formalized after signing Paris Peace Treaty in 1947. The population was resettled to Finland and population from Central Russia was moved to populate the Karelian Isthmus.
On May 16, 1940, Koivisto became the administrative center of the newly established Koyvistovsky District in Leningrad Oblast.[16] At the same time, Koivisto was granted town status.[citation needed] On October 1, 1948, the town was renamed Primorsk and the district was renamed Primorsky.[16] On April 3, 1954, Primorsky District was abolished and merged into Roshchinsky District, with the administrative center in Roshchino.[16] On January 4, 1957, Primorsk was transferred to Vyborgsky District.[17]
Primorsk evolved in the 20th century as an outport for the town of Vyborg.
The town is the site of reportedly the largest Baltic Sea oil terminal, Port of Primorsk. It was developed 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.[18] In 2006, Primorsk was ranked first in Russia in crude oil export, with the export volume of 5,863,000 metric tons.[19]
In the wake of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, on April 29, 2022, Rosneft was not scheduled to export any diesel from Primorsk in May, as demand from Europe dropped off due to sanctions.[20]
^Fay, pp. 68-69. The treaty was published in Izvestia on December 29, 1917. On December 31, 1917, the treaty was copied in the Paris Excelsior. Afterwards, the treaty was copied (with slight paraphrasing) in narratives by Bompard, French ambassador at Petrograd 1902-08, and the Russian diplomat Anatoly Neklyudov.
Законодательное собрание Ленинградской области. Областной закон №32-оз от 15 июня 2010 г. «Об административно-территориальном устройстве Ленинградской области и порядке его изменения», в ред. Областного закона №23-оз от 8 мая 2014 г. «Об объединении муниципальных образований "Приморское городское поселение" Выборгского района Ленинградской области и "Глебычевское сельское поселение" Выборгского района Ленинградской области и о внесении изменений в отдельные Областные законы». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Вести", №112, 23 июня 2010 г. (Legislative Assembly of Leningrad Oblast. Oblast Law #32-oz of June 15, 2010 On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Leningrad Oblast and on the Procedures for Its Change, as amended by the Oblast Law #23-oz of May 8, 2014 On Merging the Municipal Formations of "Primorskoye Urban Settlement" in Vyborgsky District of Leningrad Oblast and "Glebychevskoye Rural Settlement" in Vyborgsky District of Leningrad Oblast and on Amending Various Oblast Laws. Effective as of the day of the official publication.).
Законодательное собрание Ленинградской области. Областной закон №17-оз от 10 марта 2004 г. «Об установлении границ и наделении соответствующим статусом муниципальных образований Всеволожский район и Выборгский район и муниципальных образований в их составе», в ред. Областного закона №23-оз от 8 мая 2014 г. «Об объединении муниципальных образований "Приморское городское поселение" Выборгского района Ленинградской области и "Глебычевское сельское поселение" Выборгского района Ленинградской области и о внесении изменений в отдельные Областные законы». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Вести", №27, 11 марта 2004 г. (Legislative Assembly of Leningrad Oblast. Oblast Law #17-oz of March 10, 2004 On Establishing the Borders of and Granting an Appropriate Status to the Municipal Formations of Vsevolozhsky District and Vyborgsky District and to the Municipal Formations Comprising It, as amended by the Oblast Law #23-oz of May 8, 2014 On Merging the Municipal Formations of "Primorskoye Urban Settlement" in Vyborgsky District of Leningrad Oblast and "Glebychevskoye Rural Settlement" in Vyborgsky District of Leningrad Oblast and on Amending Various Oblast Laws. Effective as of the day of the official publication.).