Few people from Vilnius know that during World War II Wolffoot the construction of an infrastructural facility that may sound unusual for the city at this time began: a cargo river port, which was supposed to help to transport the production of Vilnius industrial companies down the Nerimi and Nemunas and to transport raw materials. Although today there is not a trace left of the port of Vilkpėda, such ambitions alone testify to the strategic importance of Neris for the city.
The (failure to) improve the Neris and its embankments is constantly discussed in the city, but one interwar ambition to use the river can be considered truly grandiose.
Vilnius researcher, professional guide, founder of the "Streets alive" initiative Alberts Kazlauskas in his book "Vilnius streets alive. Back to the periphery" writes that the first Soviet government in 1940 built a river port in the summer. The press of that time stated that along the entire length of the Neris River in Vilnius - from Turniškii to Paneri - there is no more suitable place for the construction of a port than at the current Vilnius thermal power plant (VE-2). At that time, a low plot of 60 ha was completely undeveloped here, and the territory itself is located near the railway and the bends of the river that slow down the flow of the Neria.
The book considers that it is difficult to localize the exact location of the construction of the river port, but most likely the works were started a little north of the current power plant, at the confluence of the Neris and the Vilkpėdės stream, which only flows through collectors, where the only cargo ferry in the city still operated in the interwar period. On the other hand, the very scale of the start of construction was enormous: it was written in the press that the total number of people working on the project at one time fluctuated between 400 and 700 people, unemployed people were sent to the construction.
The place for the river port was not chosen by chance, also because Wolffoot from long ago, it was used more for industry: the forest was cut down, there were brickworks in the area for several centuries, there was a mill, a tannery, and a small textile factory. So, as soon as they started managing the city, the Soviet administration announced that new industrial development would be concentrated in Vilkpėda and partly in Naujamiestis. It is true that the newspaper "Vilniaus balsas" of that time mentioned that Vilkpėdė, surrounded by impressive forests, erosive hills and a river, "in the past attracted sentimentalists and nature lovers more than working people".
Despite the initial energy, the river port of Vilnius was never implemented, and relatively little information, articles or photos have survived about it. A few shots can be found in the 1940s. in the newspaper Prawda Wilenska. It mentions the "huge" construction works of the river port, the flow of "cargo and passengers", the "standing" port commandant's office and warehouses, etc.
In his book, A. Kazlauskas also assesses the reasons for the failure of this project. First of all, this was determined by war and post-war needs: almost the entire Vilnius energy farm was destroyed, and despite relatively successful efforts to restore it, part of the plot intended for the river port was still in 1945. was assigned to a new, still operating power plant. This location for the new power plant was also logical due to the fact that Vilkpėda's industrial development plans were not "cancelled", so large new production companies would become consumers of the electricity produced nearby. The construction of the VE-2 power plant itself was started in 1948. and completed in several stages in 1958. Residences, a canteen, a shop, a library, a post office, a kindergarten, garages and other buildings were built for the workers next to the power plant.
Today, A. Kazlauskas considers that the canceled port project could have been caused by more reasons: beyond the limits of the center of Vilnius, Neris is difficult for larger shipping, so huge works of deepening the channel or removing boulders would be necessary. Although the fact that the Kaunas Shipyard built and brought 5 pleasure boats to Vilnius during the Soviet era, which ran regularly to Valakampii, shows that in general navigation in Nerimi is possible all the way to the Curonian Lagoon, it probably no longer seemed practical to the authorities after the war. Enthusiasm for the Vilnius river port could also be dampened by the developing network of automobile roads, and practically all the large companies of Vilkpėda were connected to the main railway by city rails.
Unlocked potential
Historically, Nerimi was no stranger to shipping in Vilnius - this is also hinted at by the city's old coats of arms, in which sailing ships are seen next to Christopher carrying a baby. Their sails seem to betray that there could have been active sailing from Vilnius even to the Curonian Lagoon or the Baltic.
However, at the moment, shipping in the capital is not very abundant: in addition to the Riga, which sails regularly from the foot of Gediminas Castle in the warm season, you can also meet several larger or smaller charter boats, as well as kayaks and jet skis, on the river.
On the other hand, in recent years, it is hard not to notice the gradual maintenance and revitalization of the Neris embankments in the central part of Vilnius, where residents have an increasing number of quality places to relax, have a snack or exercise.
In the coming years, even more action and variety are expected in Neris: the country's first floating hotel on water has already docked at the King Mindaugas bridge and plans to provide services soon. Kone introduced the shipping revolution in the summer Vilnius city municipality, already in 2025 planning regular electric public water transport between Žirmūnai and Vingis Park in the summer. The river banks could be further activated by the new bridges planned by the city - next to "Litexpo" and the Seimas.
Such changes have already taken place in the vicinity of the aforementioned Vilkpėdė port - from the central part of the city, which is soon planning to move "Beam"a few years ago, they installed an observation terrace here, and started developing a pedestrian path along Neris towards Vingis Park. In the future, the current territory of "Grinda" in Vilkpėdė is being considered for cultural, social life and recreation of Vilnius residents.
By the way, Simon Bell, professor of landscape and well-being at the University of Edinburgh (UK), who visited Vilnius last month, also drew attention to the potential of the Neris and specifically of the river in the industrial Vilkpėda region.
According to the professor, Neris is a value in itself in Vilnius, and just like any other water body in the cities, arranging its access, improving it and opening it to residents is much more effective than the development of isolated green spots.
"I know about Vilnius' plans to make Vilkpėda a more residential area, and here Neria could play a great role in connecting the district with Vingis Park or the center. The Vilkpėdė river already has green, tree-covered banks connected with forests, so it would be quite easy to make them inviting and engaging. Vilnius and especially Vilkpėdė already has a good green and blue structure - it should not be demolished or changed a lot, but relatively small improvements to the accesses could turn all of this into a quality connection between many other great places in Vilnius," said S. Bell.
