In 2025, Tartu nominated its barge culture as a Green Destinations Top 100 Good Practice Story
The international organisation for sustainable tourism development, Green Destinations, has selected Tartu’s success story of reviving local barge culture among the world’s Top 100 Good Practice Stories.
Barges are traditional wooden cargo sailing vessels that navigated Lake Peipus and the River Emajõgi from the Hanseatic era until the mid-20th century. When these vessels were replaced by more modern ships, the skills and craftsmanship needed to build them disappeared as well. Through cooperation between the NGO Emajõgi Barge Society, the City of Tartu, and numerous volunteers, this cultural heritage has been gradually brought back to life. Inspired by historical barges, the Emajõgi Barge Society and volunteers built the single-masted barge Jõmmu, launched in the spring of 2006. In 2020, the city opened the Lodjakoda complex on the banks of the Emajõgi, creating excellent conditions for showcasing barge culture as well as for further shipbuilding. As a result, in September 2024, the Emajõgi Barge Society launched a new, larger two-masted barge, named Suur Sume.
The success story of Tartu’s barges demonstrates that sustainable tourism is possible: the service is both environmentally friendly and financially self-sustaining. Visitor and event revenues cover operational costs, with profits reinvested into building and maintaining vessels. The numbers speak for themselves: Jõmmu has carried nearly 200,000 passengers over 18 seasons; in its first year of operation, the newly built Suur Sume welcomed 25,000 passengers; and over the past three years, Lodjakoda has reached more than 40,000 people through educational and community events.
