Ivangorod is a major border crossing point and a railroad station by the Tallinn-St. Petersburg line. It is located just opposite to the Estonian town of Narva.
The fortress was established in 1492 during the reign of Ivan III of Muscovy and was named after him. Between 1581-1590 and between 1612-1704 it was controlled by Sweden. Despite other changes in territory and sovereignty, from 1612 until 1945 Ivangorod was considered an administrative part of the town of Narva.
In the aftermath of the collapse of the Russian Empire, the newly independent Republic of Estonia gained control over the whole town of Narva, including Ivangorod, in January 1919, and it was subsequently recognized by Soviet Russia in the 1920 Treaty of Tartu. Having reoccupied Estonia during World War II in 1944, the Soviet authorities separated Ivangorod administratively from the rest of Narva, and transfered the territory to the Leningrad Oblast of the Russian SFSR in January 1945. Ivangorod received the status of town in 1954.
After Estonia regained independence in 1991, the 1920 Treaty of Tartu has not been considered legally binding by Russia any more. Ivangorod thus belongs to Russia De facto, as a new border treaty between Estonia and Russia has not yet come into force.