Trakai Castle is a late medieval castle in Lithuania. It is one of the most famous landmarks in the country, constantly receiving crowds of tourists and used as a museum.
Beautiful scenery, lakes, stunning artworks, galleries, glass and wall paintings, secret passages will delight even visitors indifferent to history. There is a history museum inside the castle, and knights' tournaments, fairs and craft days are regularly held here.
The history of the construction of Trakai Castle
There is a Lithuanian legend, according to which Prince Gediminas hunted in the local area and found a beautiful place by the lake, where he immediately wanted to build a fortress and make this area the capital of the country. The first castle was built at the end of the 14th century by his son, Prince Keistut.
In 1377 he repelled an attack by the Teutonic Order. The last construction work ended in 1409 and the castle turned into the most protected fortress in Europe, impregnable for enemy armies. After the final triumph over the Teutonic Order, the fortress gradually lost its strategic military importance, since the main enemy was defeated. The castle was turned into a residence, luxuriously decorated inside and became an active participant in various political events in the country.
However, the remoteness of Trakai Castle from trade routes led it into decay, it was abandoned and after the war with Moscow in 1660 it turned into ruins. Russian troops were the first to break through the defense of the castle and destroy it.
In 1905, the imperial Russian authorities decided to partially restore the ruins. In World War I, the Germans brought in their own specialists, who also made several restoration attempts. Between 1935 and 1941, part of the walls of the ducal palace was fortified and the south-east tower was rebuilt. After the end of World War II in 1946, a major reconstruction project was started, which ended only in 1961.
Architecture and interior decoration
The restoration work, carried out for almost half a century, amazes the eye - the fortress has returned to its original appearance of the 15th century. The island castle is an architectural representative of the Gothic medieval style, but other style solutions were also used during the construction.
It is characterized by simplicity and moderate luxury of the interior rooms. The main building material for the construction of Trakai Castle was the so-called red Gothic brick. Stone blocks were used only in the foundations and tops of buildings, towers and walls. The castle is adorned with a variety of materials, including glazed roof tiles and stained glass windows.
It covers an area of about 1.8 hectares and consists of a courtyard and a castle on the island's elevation. The courtyard and the princely palace, built on three floors, are surrounded by a massive defensive wall and towers. The walls are seven meters high and three meters thick.
Another means of medieval defense of the fortress is a moat, the maximum width of which in some places is twelve meters. The fortress walls facing Trakai have spacious loopholes for protection with firearms.
The windows of the palace are decorated with delightful stained-glass windows; in the interior rooms there are paintings and frescoes that describe the life of the princes living here. Wooden galleries connect halls and rooms, and the prince's chambers have a secret passage that leads out into the courtyard. It is curious that the castle was equipped with a heating system, incredibly modern at that time. In the basement there were boiler rooms that supplied hot air through special metal pipes in the walls.
Fun in the island castle
The castle is today the center of the region, where concerts, festivals and numerous events are held. The castle is also called "Little Marienburg".
In 1962, a museum exposition was opened here, acquainting guests of the city with the history of the region. The castle is home to some of the most interesting archaeological artifacts in Lithuania, religious items, samples of medieval weapons, coins and finds from excavations in the castle grounds.
There is a numismatic exhibition on the ground floor. These coins, which were found by archaeologists during excavations, date from the 16th century. And this is not surprising, because just at that time there was a mint in the castle. The oldest coins of the exhibition were made in 1360.
Attractions in the vicinity
Trakai was a multicultural colony in the Middle Ages and is still considered the home of the Karaites. Indulge in local culinary delights that bring together the best of two cultures. Visit the picturesque Užutrakis Manor, whose park was designed at the end of the 19th century by Edouard François Andrei, a renowned French landscape architect.
The building complex was built by the Tiškevičius family at the end of the 19th century, and the main building in the Italian neoclassical style was designed by the Polish architect Josef Hus. It is luxuriously furnished in the style of Ludwig XVI. There are twenty picturesque ponds in the park, and the area is surrounded by the Galvė and Skaistis lakes.
We recommend looking at the Mikhailovsky Castle.
In the lakes around Trakai, you can swim, ride a yacht, water wheel or boat and visit the nearby wetlands.
How to get to Trakai Castle from the capital of Lithuania?
Where is the city? Trakai is located approximately thirty kilometers from Vilnius. Due to its proximity to the capital, the city is crowded with tourists, especially in the summer. If you are traveling by car, prepare yourself for the difficulty of finding a parking space. Since public parking is often congested and requires a fee, residents offer their private driveways as a cheaper option. Therefore, it is better to get to Trakai Castle by public transport.
How to get from Vilnius? Buses run to the castle from Vilnius bus station about 50 times a day (most often from platform 6). You can also take the train at the train station. The journey will take about half an hour, although from the train station in Trakai you will have to walk through the beautiful area to the fortress. Address - Trakai, 21142, any resident of the town will tell you the way.
Working hours
The work of the attraction is associated with the season. Seasonally, from May to October, the castle is open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 19:00. From November to February it is open from Tuesday to Sunday, also from 10:00 to 19:00. The entrance ticket will cost 300 rubles for adults and 150 rubles for children. It is allowed to take photos on the territory.
