The Emajõgi River promenade is ready and open to all
Tartu City Government Press Release
/ The new riverside promenade brings the Emajõgi River closer to the people and offers new leisure opportunities with its deckchairs and stair seating.
Mayor of Tartu Urmas Klaas said that the completion of the promenade gives the people of Tartu an excellent opportunity to spend time right in the heart of the city and enjoy the vibrancy of the city centre. ‘The Emajõgi river promenade helps to better connect the Emajõgi River with the urban space, and its completion shortly before the opening celebrations of Tartu 2024 will provide added value for both the Capital of Culture and the city in general,’ Klaas said.
During the course of the works, depreciated embankment fortifications and walkways on the embankments – stretching from the Kaarsild Bridge to Atlantis – were reconstructed. Stair seating of varying heights and widths, platforms, a café area and viewing terraces, were built along the river. A new cycle and pedestrian track was constructed higher up on the embankment, which allows for people to conveniently move along the left bank of the Emajõgi River.
According to Edgar Kaare, landscape architect at TajuRuum, the stretch of the Emajõgi River between the Arch Bridge (Kaarsild) and the Peace Bridge (Rahu Sild) is one of the few stretches of the river that is exposed to the sun, which now offers more pleasant recreational opportunities and more convenient connections. ‘The added staircase opens up unprecedented new views of the river, and you can dance, play music, chat or just hang out here,’ said Kaare. According to the landscape architect, the refreshment of the embankment linked the former Kaunas and Atlantis buildings, and the Arch Bridge and the Koidula and Jannsen Memorial Square, into an integral architectural ensemble. ‘We believe that the completed embankment solution will contribute to the revitalisation of the river city, while providing fresh urban experiences for the residents of Tartu and their visitors,’ Kaare added.
The design of the embankment fortifications on the left bank of the Emajõgi River was based on the draft plan prepared by TajuRuum OÜ. The reconstruction project was prepared by OÜ Tinter-Projekt. The promenade on the left bank of the Emajõgi River was built by GRK Eesti AS, at a total cost of EUR 1.7 million.
Last changed 24.11.2023
