- Place
- Biržai District Municipality
- Region
- Aukštaitija
- Type
- 84 m winding pedestrian and cycle bridge at the mouth of the Apaščia River
- Address
- Mouth of the Apaščia River, between the Reformatų Square paths and Latvygalos Street, Biržai
- Coordinates
- 56.20812, 24.76206
- Visit duration
- 15-30 minutes; about 1-2 hours when continuing along Lake Širvėna and across the long pedestrian bridge
- Best time
- daylight for the structure and river mouth, or the start of blue hour to see the integrated lighting
Pedestrian and cycle bridge over the Apaščia River, Winding Apaščia Bridge, New Biržai pedestrian bridge
The exact bridge at the Apaščia river mouth
The Winding Bridge crosses the Apaščia where the river opens into the Lake Širvėna landscape. One end meets the paths of Reformatų Square and the renewed former open-air stage area; the other reaches Latvygalos Street. The coordinate on this page, 56.208117, 24.762060, marks the approximate centre of the bridge deck, not an entrance, a car park, or a boat-launching point.
The municipality calls the structure the pedestrian and cycle bridge over the Apaščia River, while its tourism name highlights the winding form. Both names refer to the same bridge opened for public use in 2023.
It is not the celebrated 525 m Biržai Pedestrian Bridge over Lake Širvėna that leads directly towards Astravas. The Winding Bridge is a shorter link in the town's path network across the river mouth. Nor is it the Kęstučio Street road bridge over the Agluona or another vehicle crossing in Biržai.
Why the bridge winds
The shape is not merely decorative. The municipality's 2022 design account says the banks were to retain as natural an appearance as possible and the new structure was to sit within a view dominated by water, the distant lake, shoreline trees, shrubs, and reeds. A broken, winding alignment was therefore chosen to follow the uneven direction of the Apaščia banks.
The vertical railing profiles create a dense architectural rhythm, but their white-oak tone was selected in response to the colour and upright form of the shoreline reeds. The bridge remains visibly contemporary without overwhelming the low horizon of the lake and river mouth.
The idea reads best from more than the deck. Cross first, then step back onto a shoreline path and look at the full line from the side. From a higher or more distant viewpoint, the straighter segments resolve into one continuous bend.
Dimensions and materials: 84 m by 4.5 m
The municipality's design description gives a length of 84 m. Its total width of 4.5 m is broken down on the same page into a 2.5 m cycle track and a 2 m pedestrian strip, so a duplicated word in the Lithuanian sentence does not alter the meaning of the dimensions. This is a broad urban connection rather than a narrow single-file footbridge.
The surface was specified as polyurethane with a granite-aggregate dressing. Steel, aluminium, wood, and granite make up the main material palette. The railings use lightweight hollow aluminium profiles clad in natural wood veneer and clear lacquer rather than solid timber boards.
The design allowed 2 m beneath the lowest part of the structure so boats could pass. That planned clearance is not a guarantee for every craft or water level. Anyone navigating beneath the bridge must assess the actual headroom, current, water level, and local rules separately.
From construction in 2022 to completion in 2023
The municipality reported intensive construction in March 2022. A temporary technical sand embankment had been placed in the Apaščia mouth so the load-bearing piles could be installed in the riverbed. That first announcement expected the bridge to be finished during 2022, which is why the year can sometimes be mistaken for an opening date.
The municipality announced completion of the wider former-stage and castle-access public-space project on 28 September 2023. By then its record described the pedestrian bridge over the Apaščia as built, while Biržai tourism information gives 2023 as the year it opened to visitors. In short, 2022 marks construction and 2023 the completed, usable connection.
The bridge was not a stand-alone ornament. In the former stage area, the same project delivered pedestrian and cycle paths, a playground, lighting, street furniture, parking, a public toilet, landscaping, and reconstruction of J. Bielinis and Reformatų streets. The value of the entire project must not be presented as the cost of the bridge alone, because it covered two broad areas and many different works.
Integrated lighting and a route towards Astravas
There are no separate tall lamp columns on the bridge deck. LED strips integrated into the stainless-steel handrails pick out the vertical railings and winding alignment. At the start of blue hour, water and shoreline remain visible while the light already reveals the full structure. Actual switch-on times and technical condition can change, so illumination should not be treated as guaranteed at a particular minute.
For a short visit, cross in both directions and view the bridge from each bank. The municipality planned the longer route to continue along Latvygalos Street and the Lake Širvėna shore towards the separate 525 m pedestrian bridge, then onwards to Astravas Manor.
Biržai Castle is a natural second urban stop, but the Winding Bridge does not pass through the castle grounds. Before committing to a loop, check the distance to your intended return point, the weather, and whether you want to cross the long Lake Širvėna bridge twice.
Access and safe shared use
This is public pedestrian and cycle infrastructure, not a ticketed attraction. The deck joins shoreline paths without stairs on the bridge itself, so it can be used on foot, by bicycle, with a pushchair, or with a mobility aid. No independent published audit of the present gradients, surface joints, or full approach route could be found, however.
Pedestrians and cyclists share a route of limited width. Ride slowly, follow signs and markings on site, look before changing line, and pass only when there is safe clearance. Do not stand in the middle of the route for photographs, particularly at the bends where the railings shorten sightlines.
A polyurethane surface with granite aggregate cannot remove the slip risk caused by rain, wet leaves, snow, or ice. Keep children close, do not climb the railings, jump into the water, or enter the area around the supports. Maintenance, high water, ice, or events may temporarily alter normal access.
