About

In the southwest of Lithuania, on the banks of the Jūra River, by the Kaliningrad-Riga highway, a city has thrived for five centuries, beautifully named by our ancestors - Tauragė. The name consists of two words - "tauras" and "ragas." Tauragė is mentioned in written sources since 1507, but the founding of the city dates back to earlier times. In the twists of history, Tauragė found itself in the environment of two different ethnic, religious, and political worlds. Sometimes this land had to be a border separating these worlds, and sometimes it was a bridge connecting them. Because of this, like a pine cone next to a great lake, Tauragė acquired its characteristic and unique color.

Beginning

1. Dariaus and Girėno St. 5, Tauragė.

Let's start exploring Tauragė from Tauragė Castle, which is like our city's calling card. It is a mid-19th-century architectural ensemble built for the needs of the Imperial Russian customs, although various legends about mysterious castle tunnels and undergrounds are still circulating among romantics.

Museum

2. Dariaus and Girėno St. 5, Tauragė.

Now part of the castle premises houses the Tauragė Regional Museum "Santaka," which has been renovated and awaits you since the spring of 2019. Boredom will not be an option in the museum: a 360-degree film about the history of Tauragė, a virtual reality entertainment and relaxation room, an apple tree that stays green all year round, magnetic puzzles, touch-sensitive screens for educational games, archaeological excavations in kinetic sand, and many other curiosities.

Post Office

3. Dariaus and Girėno St. 16, Tauragė.

Leaving the courtyard of Tauragė Castle, across the street, we will see another 19th-century building - the complex of post office buildings, consisting of the post office, an inn, and stables. On October 10, 1843, the French writer Honoré de Balzac stayed here and wrote a letter to his future wife, the Polish aristocrat Evelina Hanska, to St. Petersburg. This is the only letter Balzac wrote in Lithuania. Continuing down the old road "St. Petersburg - Tilsit," we head towards the Jūra River.

Monument to Valdas Putvinskis

4. Jūros St. 3, Tauragė.

On the way, we will see the Culture House, formerly the House of the Riflemen's Union, and a monument dedicated to Vladas Putvinskis.

Jūra River Park

5. Kranto St., Tauragė.

Next to the Jūra River, there is a park decorated with symbols of ancient Baltic culture - celestial lights. Here, each of you can get acquainted with your own Zodiac sign and, based on Baltic mythology, find out what our ancestors can tell you through these signs.

We continue our journey enjoying the coastline of the Jūra River. After crossing the pedestrian bridge, we return to the city center along the high bank of the Jūra River.

Bunker

6. President St. 1, Tauragė.

Just uphill, we will see a bunker called DOT. This is a part of the defensive line started in 1940.

Church of the Holy Trinity in Tauragė

7. Station St. 2, Tauragė.

Right next to it is the Church of the Holy Trinity. The church is brick, cruciform with an eight-sided tower, and has features of Romanticism and Classicism architecture. Inside, there are organ pipes made in the 18th century. After visiting the church, we head to President Street.

Exile Houses

8. President St. 38, Tauragė.

A little further, we will reach the former NKVD headquarters from 1944 to 1955, where people were interrogated and tortured. Finding remains in the courtyard, a monument to the victims of resistance was erected in 1993. Currently, part of the premises houses the Museum of Exiles, Political Prisoners, and Resistance.

Monument to Vincas Kudirka

9. Vytautas St., Tauragė.

President Street intersects with Vytautas Street. At the intersection of these streets, in a small square, stands the monument to Vincas Kudirka, rebuilt in 1990.

Church of Martin Luther

10. Vytautas St. 56, Tauragė.

Next to it stands the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Martynas Mažvydas, built in 1843. In 1987, bronze sculptures of Martynas Mažvydas and Martin Luther (author A. Bagdonas) were placed at the central entrance to the church.

Tauragė Bank Building

11. Dariaus and Girėno St. 7, Tauragė.

Further along Vytautas Street, we will reach Dariaus and Girėno Street. Here stands the bank, designed by architects A. Funk and M. Songaila in 1935. Neoclassical tendencies can be felt in the architecture of the building. It is one of the most famous interwar buildings in Tauragė.

And here we finish our short acquaintance with Tauragė.