Tauragė County – Bogs, Rivers and Archaeological Heritage

For a trip to Lithuania focused on nature and culture, Tauragė County offers clear points of interest: the protected Viešvilė River basin, two visitor centres with different exhibitions, and the Ivangėnai (Karšuva) archaeological complex.

Key facts

• Viešvilė State Nature Reserve is included in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance and the Natura 2000 ecological network.
• It protects the natural ecosystem of the Viešvilė River basin, including the Artosios and Gličio bogs and the surrounding forests of Karšuva-Girija.
• The Viešvilė Nature Reserve visitor centre is in Eičių; a 1,000-year-old bog profile is on display there.
• The exhibition at the Viešvilė Centre introduces Karšuva-Girija, the Viešvilė stream and the surrounding bogs.
• The centre offers the opportunity to visit Lithuania’s only capercaillie breeding facility. Check access before your trip.
• The Pagramantis Regional Park visitor centre is in Ringių, at the confluence of the Akmena and Jūra rivers. The “Almančios rėvos” exhibition is located there.
• The Ivangėnai (Karšuva) archaeological complex, on the Suvirkštis River, comprises two hillforts, a settlement at their foot and a burial ground.
• The Nemunas and Jūra are named in tourism development planning for Tauragė County as important rivers for tourism.

Bogs, forests and river basins

Viešvilė Nature Reserve brings the natural highlights together in one specific setting: it protects the natural ecosystem of the Viešvilė River basin. This includes the Artosios and Gličio bogs and the surrounding forests of Karšuva-Girija. Its inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance and the Natura 2000 ecological network adds two named conservation designations to the landscape. For nature enthusiasts, the focus is not just one bog, but the interplay of wetlands, the river basin and forest.

Two visitor centres, different exhibitions

The Pagramantis Regional Park visitor centre is in Ringių, at the confluence of the Akmena and Jūra rivers. The centre houses the modern, informative “Almančios rėvos” exhibition. The visitor centre of Viešvilė State Nature Reserve takes a different approach: its exhibition introduces Karšuva-Girija, the Viešvilė stream that flows through it, and the surrounding bogs. A 1,000-year-old bog profile is also on display there in Eičių.

The two places are easy to distinguish by their exhibition content: Pagramantis is associated with “Almančios rėvos” and the confluence of the Akmena and Jūra; the Viešvilė Centre focuses on the forest, stream, bogs and bog profile. In addition, the Viešvilė Nature Reserve visitor centre offers the opportunity to visit Lithuania’s only capercaillie breeding facility. Check access to this facility before your trip.

Archaeology and rivers

The Ivangėnai (Karšuva) archaeological complex is on the Suvirkštis River. It consists of two hillforts, a settlement at their foot and a burial ground. The name therefore refers to a multi-part archaeological complex, not just a single hillfort: the fortified sites, settlement and burial ground form a group. This combination offers a specific point of interest for a trip focused on cultural history.

River names also help with orientation. The Nemunas and Jūra are named in the county’s tourism development planning as important rivers for tourism. The Jūra also appears in the location description of the Pagramantis visitor centre, which is in Ringių at its confluence with the Akmena. In this way, the Jūra links a regional reference with a specific place in the county.

Discover more destinations: Jurbarkas, Pagėgiai, Tauragė, Veliuona, Lumpėnai, Margiškiai, Pilis I, Tauragė District Municipality, Smalininkai, Šilalė District Municipality, Jurbarkas District Municipality.