Vilnius’ centre is located on the flux of two rivers – The river Neris and Vilnele. The river Neris is running through the very centre of Vilnius dividing the new and old centres of the city. Despite such geographical and visual centrality of the river, the river is physically isolated from the city by traffic roads and concrete barriers against the tide framing the river from both sides. Therefore, the only routes leading to the embankments are the safety ramps designed for the fire-stations every 500 m of the embankment, as well as the stairs under the bridges.
In the past several years Vilnius citizens increasingly started to perceive the embankment as a very pleasant , beautiful and as a public space with a huge potential. Few parts of the embankment and also as a result of certain cultural initiatives became visited and used. People also started to organise and offer leisure cruises, regattas and sculpture exhibitions. The city planning department is also trying to contribute increasingly and is discussing the potential of the river. However, until now many initiatives and desires to use the river remain incompatible with each other and lack a comprehensive policy of administration.