- Place
- Kretinga District Municipality
- Region
- Samogitia
- Type
- free urban recreation area and municipally monitored swimming site at a historic manor-park pond
- Address
- 7 Grafų Tiškevičių St, Kretinga
- Coordinates
- 55.89862, 21.25281
- Visit duration
- 1-3 hours for swimming, play, and a short walk; 3-5 hours for a wider park visit
- Best time
- a warm summer day after the latest compliant water test, preferably in the morning or evening
Kretinga Manor Park First Pond recreation area, First Manor Pond recreation area, Third Pond, Trečiasis prūdas
A city beach in a manor park, not on the sea
Kretinga City Beach lies on the town's north-eastern edge at a manor-park pond between Grafų Tiškevičių Street, Padvariai, and residential neighbourhoods. It is a compact freshwater recreation ground rather than a substitute for the Baltic coast; its advantage is an easily reached sandy and grassy shore for people living in or visiting Kretinga.
Google Maps calls it Kretinga City Beach, municipal testing reports call the waterbody the first Kretinga Manor Park pond, tourism descriptions use First Manor Pond recreation area, and local residents often say the third pond. All refer to the same 2.9-hectare swimming place at 55.898616, 21.252808.
The numbering confusion does not indicate different ponds. Manor histories counted eastwards from the oldest pond beside the palace, making the beach pond number three. The modern topographic classification counts the opposite way, from the headwaters towards the confluence, so the same waterbody became number one.
From the counts' hunting pond to a public recreation ground
As Count Juozapas Tyszkiewicz reshaped the Kretinga estate, three cascading ponds were laid out in the Dupultis stream valley from 1878 to 1880 to designs by surveyor Szostak. The pond farthest from the palace, historically number three, served hunting; large numbers of waterfowl lived around its banks.
Water flowed from the higher third pond into the second and then into the oldest pond beside the palace. In the twentieth century, neglect, floods, and breached embankments damaged the system and its cascades disappeared. Land-reclamation engineers reconstructed the ponds in 1980.
The public recreation area was substantially upgraded in 2014. The beach received a new sand layer and pier, an approximately 290-metre pedestrian path, children's play area, and car park. The pontoon was later renewed, while the beach and volleyball courts are periodically replenished with sand.
What families and active visitors find here
Facilities include a sandy shore, maintained lawn, changing cabins, toilet, children's playground, pontoon, and beach-volleyball courts. Kretinga District's 2026 sports calendar schedules beach-volleyball tournaments at the first manor-park pond, so the courts and shore may be busier on competition days.
Groups of trees and reeds provide some shade and natural shoreline, but the main sand and lawn are exposed to the sun. Bring drinking water, sun protection, and a rubbish bag because official sources do not list permanent food sales, equipment hire, showers, or lockers. Toilets and cabins may have different availability outside the summer season.
This remains a living pond rather than a chlorinated pool. In 2024, it was stocked with 50 pike, 30 tench, and 10 grass carp to support fish resources and ecosystem balance. Reeds, fish, or aquatic plants do not automatically mean pollution, just as apparently clear water does not guarantee microbiological safety.
Water testing in 2026: why the date matters
The municipality tests water at the first manor-park pond during the bathing season. A sample taken on 9 June 2026 failed microbiological requirements and swimming was discouraged, but a repeat test on 23 June complied. Intestinal enterococci and Escherichia coli measured on 7 July also remained within Lithuania's HN 92:2018 limits.
Each result is a snapshot of one sample, not a promise for the whole summer. Heavy rain, surface runoff, heat, or another pollution event can alter conditions before the water visibly changes, so open the latest Kretinga District Municipality or Public Health Bureau notice before swimming.
At this page's review date, the latest published result was compliant on 7 July 2026 and the next test was scheduled for 21 July. If a warning is posted on site, the water looks unusually green, smells, has a film, or contains dead fish, stay out even if an earlier report was good.
Safety, lifeguards, and practical access
The recreation ground is free and accessible without a ticket gate, but that does not imply continuous supervision. Current official sources publish no lifeguard duty schedule, so assume that you swim at your own risk. Keep a child within arm's reach beside the water and do not rely on a rescue ring or other visitors for supervision.
Do not jump from the pontoon unless on-site rules and water depth explicitly permit it; the bottom, water level, and vegetation may change. Do not swim alone, at night, during a storm, while intoxicated, or immediately after becoming overheated. Weak swimmers should remain in the marked shallows and use a proper buoyancy aid rather than an inflatable toy.
A car park was created along the extended route towards Padvariai, and park paths provide pedestrian access. The maintained path and lawn work for some visitors with limited mobility, but there is no confirmation that the sand, pontoon, and toilet form a fully step-free route. Check specific access needs and the seasonal condition of facilities with Kretinga Town Eldership before travelling.
