The Stockholm Square in the old town of Narva will become the city’s new central square. The square, which used to feature historic buildings, is today empty, with part of it used as a parking lot. The goal of the project is to develop the town hall quarter and thus revitalise Narva’s old town.
Narva’s splendid baroque centre was destroyed in World War II, with only the town hall building surviving.
The main idea behind the new town square is to enhance these baroque elements and to carry on the memory of the town’s historical layers. The square currently includes the powerful landmarks of the town hall and the main building of the University of Tartu Narva College.
The plan is to use graphic rounded forms and some volumetric shapes to represent historic buildings in the square. The running theme of the square is water and fluidity. Therefore, the tonality of the entire square is predominantly blue, and the rounded forms are interlaced with linework that imitates the ripples of water around stones.
Stockholm Square is mostly flat, making it suitable for concerts, fairs and shows, but there are some green hills on its perimeter that can be used as seating areas or for sledding in the winter.
The square will be illuminated by tall mast lights, their shape inspired by aquatic plants. Additional lighting will add to the pleasant atmosphere by accentuating the contours of the stones and seating stones, which themselves also provide lighting.
The new central square will serve as a gathering place for the city’s residents, helping both locals and visitors to better understand Narva’s diverse history and breathing new life into the old town of Narva.