Ragnit Castle

Graži vieta, Tauragės apskritis

A former Teutonic Order castle on the bank of the Nemunas (Neman) River in the town of Neman (historically Ragnit), built of brick in 1397-1409 under architect Nikolaus Fellenstein on the site of an earlier wooden Skalvian/Teutonic stronghold destroyed in 13th-century fighting with Lithuania. It guarded the frontier between the Teutonic State and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, later served as an East Prussian prison from 1825 (including for political prisoners under the Nazi regime), and was heavily damaged in World War II. Only ruins remain today, including a roughly 25-meter watchtower, standing in the town centre; clearing and restoration work has been underway in recent years.