A Set of Railway Bridge Structures in Kurmaičiai
Infrastructure

In Kurmaičiai (near Mažeikiai), a railway bridge is located over the River Venta. This metal bridge with two masonry watchtowers has been abandoned for many years. The traffic is organised on the new bridge built next to the old one. The first wooden bridge over the River Venta was built in 1871–1873 to carry important cargo for Tsarist Russia. In 1904–1905, the bridge was replaced by a stronger wooden bridge, which was blown up in 1915 (during the First World War). In 1918, the bridge was rebuilt as a metal structure. The new bridge became one of the longest and widest single-track bridges of its time, measuring 70 m in length. Because of its strategic importance, the bridge was heavily guarded during World War II. Stone watchtowers with bullet marks stand on both sides of the river, bearing evidence of shelling that once took place. In 1941, German soldiers are said to have shot approximately 4,000 people in the vicinity of the bridge. The bridge was also carefully guarded during the second Soviet occupation. The bridge that is in use today was built over the rubble of the first bridge that was blown up. Now you can see bridge structures from as many as three different periods in one place.