The bridge over Jūra River

The modern-day reinforced concrete bridge over Jūra River, being a part of the route Riga-Šiauliai-Tauragė-Kaliningrad, is already the fourth (if we don’t include the temporary bridges). The first one was built in the mid. 19th c. with the new road. It was destroyed by the river during the ice-drift and a new metal bridge was built in its place before 1880. In 1915, it was destroyed by retreating Russian troops.
In 1930, Lithuania commemorated the 500th death anniversary of Vytautas the Great. In order to mark this anniversary, the year of 1930 was referred to as the year of Vytautas the Great. Lithuania hosted numerous events, carrying a painting of Vytautas the Great around towns and cities. Tauragė celebrated the 8 September 1930 as well. The celebration featured the consecration of the foundation for the new bridge over Jūra River. During the event, priest R. Kuodis made a speech and named the bridge after Vytautas the Great. The third bridge, which was built in 1930-1932, was destroyed during World War II.
After the war, it was replaced by a modern-day reinforced concrete bridge, which was reconstructed in 1975 and 2007-2008. Today it is 82.85 m long and 15.75 m wide. The reconstruction involved preserving the shaped stone piers, built in the second half of the 19th c. and the old decks of the watch-boxes.
100 metres upstream, there is the dam of Tauragė and Banga cafeteria.

Compiled in 2018