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Tauragė
Tauragė Town (pop. 28.5 thousand) is located in the western part of Lithuania, in the plain of the lower reaches of the Nemunas River and is crossed by the Jūra River. The name of Tauragė is composed of two words having the meaning of “aurochs” ( tauras) and “horn” ( ragas). According to old tales, people found aurochs’ horns when gathering mushrooms in a forest. Today it is known that the Pajūris Manor was in the location of Tauragė back in 1499. A first wooden Catholic church along with a sheltered accommodation and a school was built in Tauragė in 1507. In 1567, the town with a status of a border settlement opened a customs house.
Upon having built the Tilžė-Šiauliai road through Tauragė in the middle of the 19th century, the town enjoyed a rapid growth and active trade. Over the period of the prohibition of the Lithuanian press Tauragė was a major intermediate point of Lithuanian book spreaders. The period of independence encouraged the development of Tauragė–a number of administrative buildings (presently, the monuments of architecture) and educational institutions were constructed.
The most significant architectural sites are the Tauragė Manor farmstead of the 15th century whose history dates back to the origins of the town and the Tauragė castle ensemble built for customs needs in the 19th century. The Manor’s houses on the bank of the Jūra River are surrounded by a large scenic park. The entire ensemble of the castle features a “romantic” character of a Renaissance castle conveyed to it by its builders. Presently, the castle houses Tauragė History Museum that boasts rich collections of exhibits. The Exile Museum is operating in the former headquarters of the Soviet Security Service. Other heritage values include the Martynas Mažvydas Evangelical and Holy Trinity Catholic Churches. The quay of the Jūra River is adorned with an ensemble of sculptures.
In 1812, in Požėriūnai mill nearby Tauragė, General Hans Yorck, commander of the Prussian Army Corps and an ally of Napoleon, and Ivan Dybich, Field-Marshal of the Russian Army, signed the convention whereby the corps of Prussian soldiers refused to fight on the side of France. This gave the start to the liberation of occupied countries from Napoleon’s occupation.
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