Ust-Narva, Narva-Jõesuu or Gungerburg – whatever titles had this small resort town, having got three times over a devastation in its history (after two world wars and the collapse of the USSR), but it always recovered from the ruins and rose from the ashes like a phoenix.
The city currently has a name Narva-Jõesuu that is hard to say for the Russian-speaking person, having a first encount with the Baltic countries and the Estonian language. (A small digression – if you bought property in Estonia, it would be quite difficult to explain to your friends that you spend the summer on the Jõe or Mäe streets in Narva-Jõesuu. You’ll need to practice in the pronunciation of these common Estonian words).
But generally, any situation has an easy way out. The city name is translated into Russian as Ust-Narova or Ust-Narva that is more common. So we’ll call it further in our story.
Much has changed since the ancient times, much has been rebuilt, but the northern nature still fascinates everyone coming to this coast. In the Soviet era period, the two republics had no dividing state border along the Narva River, at the mouth of which the city is located. Ust-Narva used to be a popular resort with a national importance, having pioneer camps, holiday houses, resorts and other places to stay. Such a popularity was caused by the fact that Ust-Narva combines two excellent components of a good vacation in a wide sandy beach that is 8 km long (the longest in Estonia!) and of a truly amazing pine forest where pure and wholesome air meets the constant sea breeze.
Ust-Narva today has two resorts – Hotel & Spa: Narva-Jõesuu SPA and Meresuu SPA. New Noorus SPA, that completes the chain of spas in Ust-Narva, located along the sea, is planned to be launched in July 2014. Great vacations are now promoted by renovated beach, creation of additional footpaths and showers, two new recreational parks and permanent access to the sea. In winter you may skiing across the woods or go to neighboring Narva, where all amenities of civilization as cinemas, concert halls, bars and restaurants are widespread.
No prizes for guessing, that having such a pros, Ust-Narva began to attract tourists and the city has found new residents, even only for the summer period. According to the Department of Statistics, Narva-Jõesuu is the number one in Estonia for the share of foreigners owning real estate: it is 25% and is gradually approaching to 30%. Such indicators are caused by the fact that the city borders with Russia. It takes about two hours to drive 130 km from St. Petersburg to the Narva checkpoint and another 12 km or just a few minutes are from Narva to Ust-Narva. Having a good time in the city, one should keep in mind that parking on the streets is not free of charge, it is necessary to purchase a special parking ticket.
Property in Ust-Narva is not accidentally one of the most expensive in Estonia. For example, the cheapest one-bedroom apartment costs €26,800, while in Tallinn Lasnamäe (not the most popular of the areas) it’s for €12,000.
In general, the prices for houses and apartments in Ust-Narva are comparable with the Tallinn ones. House in Ust-Narva with an area of 69.6 sq. m, not in the best condition, but with a land plot of 12 acres, costs as a 90-meter two-storeyed mansion in the green and good Nõmme metropolitan area. The both proposals are for sale for about €100,000.
The cheapest small land plot with a wooden building in Ust-Narva can be purchased for €70,000 and the most expensive one costs €1,035,698. Many prefer to settle in the vicinity of Ust-Narva, because prices diminish rapidly the far is distance from the city center and along the highways there are quite a large number of gardenings, where you can purchase own "6 acres" for €12,000. That is the price, asking by the owners of a country house in the garden cooperative "Cherry" for their property (580 sq.m. of land and 39 sq.m. of living space).
Ust-Narva is one of the most attractive places to buy real estate in Estonia. Nature, beach, sea, as well as proximity to the state border and the most important route from St. Petersburg to Tallinn make living in a small and quiet town a very comfortable one (resident’s population is less than 3,000 people) and bought property becomes a profitable investment as housing prices has been recently rapidly growing. According to the Department of Statistics, the prices for apartments in the country increased by 13%, and for homes by 4% in 2013.
Having visited this place for once, it will captivate you with its fresh air, comfort, tranquility and calm, that are extremely necessary for all of us living in big cities full of hustle and bustle.
Text: Ivan Krause, especially for ee24.com.
Photos were provided by the author.