At the request of Jurbarkas District Municipality Administration, SRP projektas prepared and presented design proposals for adapting the banks of the Nemunas, Mituva and Imsrė rivers for visitors, recreation and water tourism to representatives of the municipality, local boat operators and the tourism sector.

“From the very beginning, Jurbarkas District Municipality had a clear vision for this public space, so when preparing the design proposals, it was important to reflect that vision as accurately as possible. We are pleased that, during the meeting with members of the Jurbarkas Council, we received positive feedback that the proposed solutions, drawings and visualisations clearly reflect the client’s main expectations and the planned direction for the development of the area,” said Eglė Kerušauskienė, Project Manager at SRP projektas, sharing her impressions after the meeting.

From a Recreational Boat Quay to a Leisure Space for the Community

In the planned area, SRP projektas proposed the development of universal infrastructure designed for active leisure and cultural events, which will fundamentally change the current condition of the riverbanks. The following facilities are proposed for the area:

• For water tourism and navigation: a quay of approximately 315 metres for mooring recreational boats, as well as a quay-side pedestrian promenade of the same length and 2 metres in width. Both temporary and permanent mooring places for recreational boats are planned.

• For leisure and the community: a public event area with small architectural elements, which will become a new venue for cultural events, concerts and community gatherings. A modern, innovative children’s playground is also planned, as well as recreation areas with fire pits and barbecue zones arranged in a dedicated functional area.

• Parking infrastructure: a new car park will be built near the small boat marina, and a dedicated parking area for camper vans is also planned.

• For convenience: designated areas for arriving food trucks and public toilets will be provided.

• For better accessibility: a new Category D street leading to the marina will be formed.

A Special Location and an Identity Based on Legends

Designing in an exceptional natural area by three rivers required particular responsibility from the specialists at SRP projektas.

“The project is being developed near rivers, in a sensitive natural area, so it was essential to assess whether the planned solutions would have any negative impact on the environment. For this purpose, hydraulic and hydrological regime modelling studies of the Mituva and Nemunas rivers were carried out, a Natura 2000 significance conclusion was obtained, and we are currently awaiting the conclusion of the Environmental Protection Agency regarding screening for environmental impact assessment. However, it is likely that the greatest challenges still lie ahead as we prepare the technical working design,” said Project Manager E. Kerušauskienė.

In addition to the engineering tasks, the designers paid great attention to the identity of the place.

“One of the client’s key goals was to give the area a distinctive identity, which is why motifs from the legend of the Jurbarkas giants have been integrated into the architectural solutions – visitors will be able to discover mysterious giant footprints both in the children’s playground and in the public event area. The 313Architects team made a significant contribution to bringing this vision to life – they developed the entire architectural idea and fully shaped the visual concept that determined how the public event space, recreation areas with barbecue zones and other project spaces will look,” said Eglė.

Addressing Long-Standing Problems

While preparing the project, the SRP projektas team took into account the needs of the local community and boat operators. The extended quay will solve a long-standing problem in Jurbarkas – the shortage of temporary mooring places, which recreational boat owners have repeatedly faced during the summer season.

The comprehensive infrastructure being created – from an amphitheatre and an innovative children’s playground to a camper van area – gives strong reason to expect that this public space will become a new regional attraction, appealing both to Jurbarkas residents and to visitors travelling by recreational boats or by camper van.

SRP projektas plans to submit the final Jurbarkas riverbank project by the end of this year. Construction works will begin later, and in approximately three years, residents and visitors of Jurbarkas will be able to enjoy a new leisure space.

Existing situation