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Trakai Island Castle is the only castle on the water in all of Eastern Europe, Lithuania, a wonderful example of Gothic architecture. The castle was built at the turn of the XIV-XV centuries.
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| Trakai Island Castle Lithuania |
The Trakai Island Castle was the main part of the Trakai defensive complex. By the will of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Keistut, this was to be the seat of his throne. The construction of this fortress on Lake Galve was extremely difficult. For the construction of the castle, three islands were used, which were connected by filling the space with soil and stones. His appearance on the island of the lake shows the political and economic power of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
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| Trakai Island Castle Lithuania |
The fortress consisted of a princely castle and a chateau. A deep defensive moat, once filled with lake water, separated the palace from the chateau. It was one of the most impregnable fortresses in all of Eastern Europe: never in its entire history did enemies manage to conquer it. The castle immediately became the main residence of the Grand Duke Vitovt and hosted sumptuous receptions and feasts in honor of foreign ambassadors and distinguished guests from all over Europe.
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| Trakai Island Castle Lithuania |
In the middle of the seventeenth century, the government of tsarist Russia ordered Trakai to be burned and plundered. The Trakai Island Castle was irreparably destroyed. The nineteenth century is the era of romanticism. It was then that people began to take an interest in the past, and especially in Trakai Castle. Architects and engineers began to prepare projects for the restoration of the castle. Later, at the beginning of the twentieth century, work on the restoration of the castle was taken over by the Polish engineer and architect Jan Borovsky.
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| Trakai Island Castle Lithuania |
After World War II, Lithuanian engineers and architects continued the restoration work of Trakai Island Castle. According to the project of the architect Bronius Kruminis, the central palace was restored, and according to the project of Stanislavas Mikulenis, the castle was completely put in order. By 1987, the entire ensemble was restored. The castle took the form of the 15th century.
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| Trakai Island Castle Lithuania |
In 1962, the Trakai History Museum was opened in the restored central palace, which introduces the history and modernity of the city, castle and surroundings. Today Trakai Island Castle is one of the most visited places by tourists in all of Lithuania.