About Trakai Peninsula Castle
Trakai Peninsula Castle is one of the most important centres of Vytautas the Great’s homeland, the Duchy of Trakai. The construction of the peninsula castle itself was started in the middle of the 14th century by Vytautas the Great’s father, the Grand Duke of Lithuania Kęstutis. The construction of the castle was already completed during the reign of Vytautas himself in the early 15th century. The castle itself became one of the Grand Duke’s residences, inseparable from the defence structure of Trakai and Vilnius. It was one of the largest castles in Lithuania, covering an area of 4 hectares and having 12 defensive towers of different sizes. The front part of the castle consisted of a quadrangular courtyard surrounded by a defensive wall with 6 towers. The main gate tower was located in the middle of the defensive wall on the city side, while the tower in the middle of the north-eastern wall contained the reserve ‘winter’ gate. The other part of the castle is dominated by the so-called ‘Victim’ hill, which may have been the site of stone buildings with a residential purpose in the Middle Ages.
The role of Vytautas the Great and his father Kęstutis in the history of Trakai is special, having established the city as one of the key centres of the state throughout the entire period of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. During Vytautas’ reign, the city was granted Magdeburg rights; in the 14th century, Tatars and Karaites settled down in Trakai and guarded the castle. In 1409, a church was established by the ruler and later built. It is the reign of Vytautas that reflects the city’s heyday, and the entire defensive and residential complex, including not only the Peninsula, but also the Island Castle on Lake Galvė, forms a unique landscape of the area.
Today, Trakai is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Lithuania. The peninsula castle itself is often overshadowed by the Island Castle, because unlike the Island Castle, the latter has only been preserved in fragments.
Nevertheless, the castle is slowly being revived. Thanks to the Trakai History Museum, the castle is being renovated and visitors are being welcomed with a brand new exhibition in the surviving parts of the castle.
More information: Trakai History Museum, tel: +370 528 55297, Kęstučio g. 4, Trakai