Facing the forces of the nature

Each spring comes with uncertainty for the inhabitants of Jēkabpils. Life on the banks of Latvia's largest river Daugava has always been a kind of test of the locals' endurance.

In 1931 and 1981 Jēkabpils suffered from two major floods. In April 1981 it took only one day for water to cover a half of the city. Water reached the level of 8,7 m - the critical level is 6,3 m. Four thousand people were evacuated; hundreds of homes required a renovation. These tragic events confirmed that the city needs to face the destructive force of melted water and to protect inhabitants, their households and cultural values of the city. The first dam was built in 1982. In 2010 the Project of Daugava Dam reconstruction was approved and its implementation started. After a year, the project has been officially completed. 3,8 km of the dam on the left side and 1,1 km on the right side of river were reconstructed. Height of dam is six to eight meters. And now it is not only a functional structure, but also an esthetic element of a city landscape. There are 13 rest areas, sidewalk, access to Daugava and on the left side of the river - platform for resonant songs of choir.

The project was applied by Jēkabpils City Council, with a share of 15%. 85% of the project was financed by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Total implementation amount of the project is more than 2 million EUR.