Photo. The Trakai Island Castle. Trakai was one of the main centres of . © Travel Explorations.
Trakai Castle is today one of the most visited historical architectural monuments in Lithuania. It’s located circa 50 kilometres from the largest city and capital Vilnius. Trakai Island Castle is the only castle surrounded by water in all of Eastern Europe. It overlooks one of the many islands in Galvës Lake.
Photo. The bridge to the main castle gatehouse.
© Travel Explorations. |  |
A history museum opened there in 1962. As I could see there were displayed lot of beautiful items and decorations in the museum. The castle hosts also various events, festivals and concerts.
Photo. The inner yard of the palace and its wooden stair galleries.
© Travel Explorations. |  |
I observed that the castle is still undergoing restoration on some of the walls and towers. It was exciting to look around. Sometimes I had to walk up and down stairs in narrow labyrinths. I searched for secret rooms in the buildings.
| Photo. Searching for secret rooms in narrow labyrinths. Where is the stairs leading me?
© Travel Explorations. |  |
Sometimes I encountered closed doors, and I wondered what was inside. Perhaps the most interesting things to observe were hidden behind these closed doors? Has Kestutis left some of his treasuries here, or has he moved all his treasuries to his main residens the Island Castle?
Photo. One time in the past the punishment
was very hard.
© Travel Explorations. |  |
The Republic of Lithuania is a country in eastern, often considered also northern Europe. It’s situated along the south-eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, sharing borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the southeast, Poland, and the Russian exclave of the Kaliningrad Oblast to the southwest.
I visited the castle on a dark and windy day. It`s made it little bit spooky. Anyway I could understand that the building was an amazing historical and architectural monument. in beautiful surroundings.
| Photo. The Trakai Castle has retained its beauty from the past. © Travel Explorations. |  |
It couldn`t be a better place to build a fortification like this, both regarding the water around for protection, and the beatiful surroundings. Trakai is a town and lake resort in Lithuania, a part of Trakai National Park territory and an administrative centre of the region. The town is located 28 km west of Vilnius. There are 200 lakes in the region, of which the deepest (46.7 m) is Galvë with its 21 islands.
Trakai Island Castle is sometimes referred to as "Little Marienburg". The castle was built in several phases. As mentioned the construction of the stone castle was begun in the 14th century by Kestutis, and around 1409 major works were completed by his son Vytautas the Great, who died in this castle in 1430. Trakai was one of the main centres of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the castle held great strategic importance.
Trakai Island Castle has suffered several serious damages during many attacks in the past. The castle lost its military importance soon after the Battle of Grunwald, when the chief enemy of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was defeated by the Lithuanian-Polish army. The castle was transformed into a residence and newly decorated from the inside. New frescos were painted on its walls, which have been partially preserved.
Even the most solid fortification can`t give guaranteed protecting from enemies. This is Trakai Peninsula Castle an example of. Two important persons in the history are Kestutis and Sigismund. Kæstutis was born 1297, assassinated August 3 or August 15, 1382, at Kreva, and was monarch of medieval Lithuania. He ruled the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, 1381–82, with his brother Algirdas (until 1377); and was Prince of Trakai. He ruled over the Lithuanians and Ruthenians.
Sigismund Kæstutaitis was son of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Kestutis and his wife Birutë. He was born ca. 1365, and was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1432 to 1440. Sigismund was his baptismal name; Sigismund's pagan Lithuanian birth name is unknown. On 1 September 1432 Sigismund became the Grand Duke of Lithuania. Sigismund's army defeated Švitrigaila in the Battle of Pabaiskas on September 1, 1435. Livonian Order, an ally of Švitrigaila, suffered a major defeat. Sigismund Kæstutaitis was murdered in the castle on 20 March 1440.
Stein Morten Lund, 18 February 2008
Additional information
Trakai Peninsula Castle is another castle in Trakai, Lithuania. This castle was built in the 14th century by Kæstutis, the Duke of Lithuania. It`s located in the peninsula of the southern shore of Lake Galvë.
Facts about the country:
Country: Lithuania
Ethnographic region: Aukštaitija
County: Vilnius County
Municipality: Trakai district municipality
Elderate: Trakai elderate
Capital of: Trakai district municipality - Trakai elderate
First mentioned: 1337
Granted city rights: 1409
Population (2007) : Total 5,406
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
- Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
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