Klaipėda city officials will start excavations at 15 spots in Atgimimo Square where explosives might still be present, the municipality announced Thursday.

“After a magnetometer survey of the square, we identified 15 sites likely to contain explosives,” Andrius Kačalinas, head of the city’s Legal and Personnel Department, told BNS. “Excavations will soon begin to ensure the construction site is safe and to resolve the emergency situation.”

The square has been under a municipal emergency declaration since November 2024, when numerous World War Two-era explosives were found. At that time, Vice Mayor Algirdas Kamarauskas told LRT that roughly 50 explosives had been removed and neutralised after partial clearing.

During the preparatory demining work, important foundations were also uncovered, leading city officials to carefully plan the next steps for the reconstruction and renovation of Atgimimo Square in Klaipėda.

Archaeological and architectural planning

“Architects are currently developing proposals to integrate the former urban structures into the new square while keeping the overall project on track,” Kačalinas explained.

The city intends to review these proposals with archaeologists, architects, and key decision-makers.

“While both heritage experts and construction teams agree that burying and preserving the uncovered structures in situ would be the simplest and most cost-effective approach,” Kačalinas said, “it is also the least desirable, as it would block public access to the heritage, which is our main goal.”

Atgimimo Square in Klaipėda before the reconstruction

Kačalinas pointed out that, because of gaps in legal regulations, the city has had to arrange explosives detection services itself, coordinating them alongside earthworks. Mayor Arvydas Vaitkus earlier stated that the central government should establish clearer guidelines for private participation in demining, as contracting commercial companies for this work is complicated.