The Сultural quarter is set to become a tourism magnet together with the lighthouse and the breakwater

By the end of next summer, the NGO Suur-Lootsi Cultural Quarter will develop a promenade and cultural quarter infrastructure in the area between the Narva-Jõesuu lighthouse and the river harbour. As preparatory work, the former industrial buildings of the fishing collective, which had turned into abandoned structures, were demolished to reorganise the approximately six-hectare site.

The construction of the promenade leading to the lighthouse and the breakwater currently under development will cost nearly two million euros, of which 1.4 million euros will be financed by the Just Transition Fund. The promenade will include spaces for cafés and recreation areas, sports facilities, walking paths and stages. The cultural event areas will allow festivals for up to three thousand people to be organised.

“The demolition phase has now been completed and the project is currently in the construction procurement stage,” said Vladimir Orava, project manager of the Narva-Jõesuu cultural quarter. According to him, the cultural quarter is expected to become a tourism magnet together with the lighthouse, which will be accessible to visitors from the summer of 2024, and the new breakwater, which the city authorities hope to open during the next beach season.

“This is a place where culture, the sea and the river meet. We are looking for partners who would operate cafés and restaurants here, offer attractions for children and organise events,” Orava said while presenting the territory and opportunities of the cultural quarter.

An agreement has already been reached to establish an adventure park, as well as to build a modular hotel, said Indrek Uudeküll, one of the founders of the NGO Suur-Lootsi Cultural Quarter and a real estate entrepreneur, adding that in the longer term the construction of a spa hotel is also planned. “At the moment, we are looking for catering operators who would be ready to offer their services here.

During the summer season, pedestrian traffic in this area is already quite intense. Construction will likely begin next year, and all utilities and other necessary conditions will be created specifically for the businesses that choose to operate here. Now is the right time to select a location,” Uudeküll said, noting that events are expected mainly in the summer after next.

Investor Veiko Hintsov, who participated in the Ida-Viru Investors’ Day, believes that abandoned industrial areas should be returned to people and transformed into environments where people want to spend time and leave with positive emotions. In the case of the Põhjala Factory, this refers to a former rubber factory site where old buildings have been given new life and use. Today, the area hosts restaurants, art galleries, and various events and festivals. This contemporary creative district is located in the Kopli peninsula area of North Tallinn and has around 150 tenants.

Uudeküll and Orava presented the development of the Narva-Jõesuu cultural quarter at the Ida-Viru Investors’ Day, stating that now is the right time to choose a location for future service provision. “Recent years have shown that people invest less in new apartments or cars and more in experiences, whether through travel or memorable events,” Hintsov said.

Ida-Viru tourism coordinator Kadri Jalonen welcomed the development, noting that Narva-Jõesuu will gain its own version of a creative quarter similar to Aparaaditehas or Telliskivi. “Narva-Jõesuu cultural quarter will connect the resort town and culture into a unified whole. Narva-Jõesuu has been a resort for 150 years and has Estonia’s longest resort beach. A quarter with a promenade, events and good dining options is exactly what has been missing here,” Jalonen said.