Heading for the future cherishing the past

So it happened that the modern buildings in Narva have almost entirely blocked the magnificent views of Old Narva, both in the architectural and the historical sense. This was due to the active development of the city as an industrial centre during the Soviet times. Nowadays, however, more and more attention is paid to the tou rist potential of the city. The rich history, historical and architectural monuments on the one hand, and the unique location on the border of the European Union and the beautiful natural scenery on the other, make Narva an attractive place fortourist and active holiday-makers. Development of the tourism potential on the basis of the wealthy historical and cultural heritage is one of the tasks that the present-day Narva faces.

...and after reconstruction

The Promenade now

The city has submitted a number of applications to various European funds and has already received financial support for several projects which aim at turning Narva and the whole cross-border region Narva - Narva-Jõesuu - Ivangorod (Russia) into a place where tourism will flourish.

In March a new Visitors Center opened its doors in the city, offering wide range of information about Narva, Ida-Viru county and the whole of Estonia both via printed and electronic media. It is noteworthy that some ideas for the Center were borrowed and implemented as a result of fruitful cooperation with the city of Kris-tiansand in Norway.

In the nearest future the city will acquire a beautiful promenade stretching along the Narva River from Narva port to the public beach. The latter will in turn become a nicely landscaped recreational area with renovated beach, sports grounds, cafés and a modern infrastructure for organizing public and cultural events. Tourists will be able to take a tour inside the restored bastions'passages, go on fascinating thematic excursions around the city, take long walks along the paths of Dark Garden perched on top of bastions Victoria and Pax, and make use of the audio-guides that transcend times, taking you back to the days when Narva Castle and Ivangorod Fortress were founded and fierce battles raged inside and outside their walls. The city has also plans to restore Old Narva, which used to be a pearl of Europe with its stunning Baroque architecture, not in its original size, however, but in a miniature form.