Trakai Island castle

Trakai castle is an island castle located in Galve lake, close to Lithuania's capital city Vilnius. Trakai castle was built in 14th Century and was strategically important medieval fortress

MAIN FACTS
LOCATION	Trakai district, Lithuania
ARCHITECTURE	Gothic
BUILT	1409
ARCHITECT	Unknown
AREA	1.8 ha
RATING (8,79/10)

until Lithuania-Poland defeated Teutonic knights order. In later centuries, the castle was abandoned and in ruins. It was reconstructed in 1950ies-1960ies.

The construction of the stone castle was begun in the 14th century by Kęstutis, 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 centers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the castle held great strategic importance. The castle was rebuilt in the 1950s–1960s by Lithuanian initiative, although it had received resistance from Soviet authorities. The Trakai History Museum was established after the reconstruction.

Trakai Island Castle was built in several phases. During the first phase, in the second half of the 14th century, the castle was constructed on the largest of three lake islands by the order of Grand Duke Kęstutis. The construction of Trakai Island Castle was related to the expansion and strengthening of the Trakai Peninsula Castle. Kęstutis moved his main residence and his treasury to the Island Castle. The castle suffered major devastation during an attack by the Teutonic knights in 1377. After the assassination of Kęstutis, a power struggle between Jogaila and Vytautas the Great for the title of Grand Duke of Lithuania began. The castle was besieged by both sides. Soon after the reconciliation between Jogaila and Vytautas, the second phase of construction started and continued until 1409. This phase is regarded as the major development in the history of the castle. Apparently, during the truce with the Teutonic Order, the construction works were supervised by the Order's stonemason Radike, four years before the Battle of Grunwald. [Wikipedia]