Educational sustainability park in the former hippodrome in Tauragė

How to move active city life to the other side of the Jūra River, to the former hippodrome territory? This was the question we raised when participating in the park architectural competition in Tauragė.

The project “Ecoton – an Educational Sustainability Park” was awarded first place for preserving the local spirit and creating new connections with the city. The park’s diverse landscapes, trails, and attractions integrate with and complement Tauragė’s system of public spaces, embankments, and tourist attractions. Active city life extends to the other side of the Jūra River.

The Hippodrome territory is one of the unique spaces in the city of Tauragė: a large, open area in a convenient location close to the center. It has a rich historical context—horse races, festivals, and events once took place here, and a path connected the site to the manor. The ecological value of the area is also significant: the meadow, wildflowers, shrubs, trees along the hippodrome path, and the slopes of the Jūra River create a distinctive natural character. However, today the territory has lost its active connection with the city—the paths are abandoned, events no longer take place, and townspeople lack reasons to visit.

The new educational park project creates a variety of trails—an active sports hippodrome ring, walking and educational paths through meadows, wetlands, and riverbanks, as well as routes through open and forested areas. The park also includes play, sports, and recreation zones and a sustainability museum. The park trails encourage citizens to move actively and live healthily.

In the most accessible and visible part of the park, more active uses are planned: a museum, events, sports, and play areas. Meanwhile, deeper towards the river and the old riverbed, the natural landscape is preserved and enhanced, and the paths naturally meander through existing and newly created natural spaces.

The area features different landscapes – natural meadow, wet meadow and wetlands, river and pond banks, woodland, and cultivated greenery. This solution creates rich biodiversity, ensures the protection of different habitats, and gives visitors the opportunity to experience various forms of nature in one place.

The project proposes strengthening the character of the wet landscape by creating wetlands. In the lower parts of the territory, depressions are formed that naturally fill with water during spring floods or heavy rains, as well as due to high groundwater levels. The park becomes not only a recreation area but also an open classroom in nature, encouraging people to learn about, protect, and experience the harmony of different ecosystems.

Client: Tauragė District Municipality
Location: Tauragė
Size of the territory: 14 ha
Year: 2026
Award: First place award in architectural competition
Project status: technical project is being prepared
Team: Tadas Jonauskis, Justina Muliuolytė, Gytis Aglinskas, Rokas Jonušas, Aurėja Adomavičiūtė, Aistė Pakamorytė, Laura Norkūnaitė
Renders: Visual Phenomena Studies