Trakai in Lithuania

The town of Trakai, with its reconstructed immense Island castle, and environs including Senieji Trakai and 32 lakes, is located approx. 30 km west Vilnius, and is part of the Trakai Historical National Park established in 1991.

History of Trakai in Lithuania

Grand Duke Kestutis moved his residence from Senieji Trakai to a new castle in Trakai in 1341-1342. The new Trakai settlement is mentioned in historical sources in 1384. At the end of the 15th century the castle also held the state treasury and archive.Trakai expanded after acquiring Magdeburg city rights in 1409, and became the home of a diverse ethnic population. An Orthodox monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin Mother of God (which also served as a defence fortress) was established on a peninsula back in the time of Grand Duke Kestutis. German craftsmen began to settle near the new castle in the 14th century. In 1388 Vytautas the Great granted a charter to the Karaims, entrusting them with the protection of the town and its fortresses. In 1396-1398 a Karaim community settled around present-day Karaimu Street, and a Tatar community established itself around Totoriu Street. English merchants had warehouses in Trakai by the beginning of the 14th century and in 1409 the town had a parish and a school. The town diminished in the 15th century including because of restrictions imposed on the rights for the Karaims and the Jews, which resulted in a decline in trade. It revived in the beginning of the 16th century when rights for the Kariams were reinstated,but a fire in 1583 and a plague epidemic i 1603 resulted in another deterioration. Extensive reconstruction during the latter half of the 18th century did not help, for Trakai continued to be ravaged by fires an wars.

Old Urbanistic Structure of Trakai

The old urbanistic structure of Trakai was partly preserved by the natural enclosure of lakes. The principal Vytauto Street leads from the town's main entrance to its old centre at the junction with Karaimu and Kestucio streets. At this crossroad, which for several centuries was the site of a marketplace, are the remains of the old Peninsula Castle and a bridge to the Island Castle. The 15th century gothic Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary stands on Birutes Street, which branches off Vytautas Street.

The church acquired baroque features in the first half of the 18th century. Two square towers accentuate the church façade, there are gothic elements in the apse, the interior is predominantly baroque. The high altar is decorated with numerous sculptures and a painting on wood of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Child (first half of 16th century), which is almost entirely covered in an 18th century metal raiment. This painting, known as the miraculous Trakai Madonna, received gold crowns from Pope Clement XI in 1718, testifying that the Holy See had acknowledged its powers. Copies of the Trakai Madonna spread throughout the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Church festivals are held in Trakai every August 15th and September 8th. The church also has a copy of a portrait of Vytautas the Great from the church in Senieji Trakai. The baroque ensemble in the central nave is complemented by a pulpit commissioned by Jozef Karp.

Located not far from the church, the former parish school building is one of the oldest extant wooden houses in Trakai. Looming on a hill near Mindaugo Street are the ruins of a Franciscan Bernadine monastery. The church which was built here in 1552 was given to he Fransiscans in 1617; it was destroyed in the mid-17th century during the war against Moscow, and rebuilt in the 18th century. A monastery erected at the same time was transformed ino a prison in 1854. The deteriorating church was torn down in 1870, and the monastery, which was demaged during both world wars, was finally disassembled in 1956.

The symbol of Trakai - the Island Castle on Lake Galve - is probably the most visited architectural monument in Lithuania. The Island Castle was part of the defence complex of the town and state capital of Trakai. Construction on the island began in the latter half of the 14th century and ended on the eve of the Battle of Grünwald. One of the principal residences of Vytautas the Great, the castle was also where the founder of Lithuania died, following the non-arrival of his awaited royal crown. Abandoned in the latter half of the 17th century it eventually fell to ruin. The lost ancient glory of Trakai was mourned by Poles and Lithuanians alike, and the disintegrating castle walls became a favourite motif of 19th century artists and romantic poets, Maironis in particular.

In 1926, monument conservationist Stanislaw Lorentz undertook a study of the ruins in preparation for reconstruction work, which commenced in 1951 and was carried out in several stages; the residence and enclosed courtyard were rebuilt in 1961,, the defence area somewhat later. Both areas are surrounded by a defence wall an towers. The principal residence was made up of two parallel wings connected by a five storey square tower - the donjon. One enters the yard from the defence area, through a gate at the bottom of the donjon. The castle has  historical museums, the courtyard is used for concerts and plays.