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Trakai is a town situated between three lakes, 28 kilometres to the west of Vilnius. On your way there you travel through the historic lands of the former Duchy of Trakai, whose centre, Old Trakai, was the capital of Lithuania in the Middle Ages. Not tar away (3 km), in the midst of the lakes, another settlement was founded which has grown into the present town of Trakai. This town did not grow much later on: therefore, Trakai today, together with its environs, is an area strongly representative of the history of the Lithuanian state. Its three castles point to the exceptional significance of its place in national life. Even after losing its military importance, the location long remained the residence of the rulers of Lithuania. The two castles which have survived to this day are the most famous works of defensive architecture in Lithuania. The process of founding the town and its surrounding settlements in the 13th century went hand in hand with the process of the integration of the Lithuanian territories into a unified state. In those days the newly founded and yet pagan Grand Duchy of Lithuania was attacked on a regular basis by the Teutonic Order, and for two centuries had to withstand invasions from Christian Europe. Fortresses were built in all the strategically important locations nationwide. Trakai was mentioned as one of the crucial political and defensive centres of the state. Enemies on the Crusades to Vilnius would avoid these locations in order to avoid their garrisons. The most Fierce battles took place at the Peninsula Castle. As early as 1377, however, the German chronicler Wigandus Marburgensis pointed out that the Crusades "in the land of Trakai" have besieged "the new castle". Thus Trakai was first recorded in history with this reference to the Island Castle. Nowadays the restored Island Castle (late 14th and early 15th century) is the only one of its kind in Eastern Europe. In 1991 the national and historic park status was granted to Trakai.
Trakai Historical National Park is the smallest park (at 8,200 hectares) in Lithuania, but it boasts a historical and cultural heritage which is the richest. The remains of Stone Age settlements, places of mythological rituals, mounds and tumuli have been found here. The park includes 32 lakes. The water from the lakes was still used for drinking in the mid-20th century. The largest is Lake Galvė (388 hectares), with 20 islands on it; its depth at its eastern end is 46.7 metres.
On the strip of land between lakes Galvė and Luka looms the Peninsula Castle, built in the 14th century. One could get from it to the Island Castle only by a bridge. The Island Castle on Lake Galve dominates its picturesque surroundings.The Island Castle, with its history museum which opened in 1962, has now become the main visitors' attraction.
The Historical National Park also abounds in other cultural and natural treasures: the site of the ancient castle of Old Trakai, with the remnants of a Benedictine monastery (15th -19th c.), the architectural reserve of the 19th-century village of Old Trakai, the parish church founded by Vytautas in 1409 in the city centre, the former 18th-century Dominican monastery in the Peninsula Castle, the 19th-century Orthodox Church of the Birth of the Holy Mother of God, the Small Town with its 19th-century houses inhabited by Karaites, the 19th-century Užutrakis Manor, the village of Daniliskis originating from the 14th century, the Varnikai Botanical and Zoological Reserve and the Varnikai mound, Lake Akmena Hydrographic Reserve and Plomėnai Bird Sanctuary. The latter has 88 different breeds of bird, 66 of which nest in the area of the sanctuary; but the interesting thing is that most of it is situated within the official boundaries of the town of Trakai. For many, however, Trakai is just a place for rest and recreation; but a place where history and nature flow harmoniously together.
Old Trakai (3 km from Trakai). This is where the history of Trakai began. The settlement is associated with the names of several grand dukes of Lithuania: Gediminas, Kęstutis and Vytautas. During their reigns, from 1316 to 1430, fierce battles against the Crusaders took place. In those days Trakai flourished as never before, or even after. Gediminas founded the dynasty of Lithuanian grand dukes, which came to an end in the second half of the 16th century. Beginning with his grandson Jogaila (Jagiello), nearly all of the Lithuanian grand dukes were also elected kings of Poland. As the legend goes, while on a hunt, Gediminas found a beautiful hill in the woods and gave the order to have a castle built there, and also to move the capital there from Kernave. For approximately seven years, until 1323, this location was the Lithuanian capital. The castle did not survive. The site is now marked by a deep moat, the remnants of a Benedictine monastery and the 19th-century neo-Gothic Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Another legend relates that Gediminas' son Kęstutis, on seeing Birutė, a vestal virgin of great beauty, ignored her vow of chastity and took her off on his horse to Old Trakai to marry her. History confirms that there, around 1350, a son, Vytautas, was born to the pagan duchess Birutė. Vytautas later made Lithuania famous overseas. Under his reign (1392-1430) the territory of the country extended from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Until the unification with Poland (by the 1569 Lublin Union) the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was the largest country in Europe. However, Vytautas struggled through losses and feuds with his cousin Jogaila, who became the Polish king in 1387, and eventually established his right to the throne of Lithuania. It was only the threat of common enemy – the Teutonic Order - which united the two cousins. In the fierce internecine feuds, Kestutis, the duke of Trakai and Žemaitija (Samogitia), was killed. His honesty and reputation for being a man of his word were admired even by his enemies (before he went into battle he would send the enemy a message). He was captured in Trakai and, by the order of Jogaila, was strangled in the castle at Kreva in 1382. In response to the wishes of Duchess Birutė, Kęstutis began building two new castles in New Trakai. The work was completed by his son Vytautas. No authentic portrait of Vytautas has survived. However, a royal seal of Vytautas the Great is known, which shows a man sitting with the coats-of-arms of the Lithuanian lands. A seal such as this would usually have a portrait of the ruler engraved on it. An image of the seal is reproduced by a wooden sculpture on "Vytautas the Great Road" which links Old and New Trakai. In accordance with an idea by Trakai Historical National Park, the wooden sculptures carved by folk artists between 1998 and 2000 are all to commemorate the 650th anniversary of Vytautas' birth.
A town on a peninsula. The main Vytauto street runs along the peninsula on which the town of New Trakai is situated. The town borders three lakes. On the southern side, in the direction of Vilnius, are lakes Luka and Galve, on the right-hand side; on the left is Lake Totoriskiu. The water level once used to be about 1.5 metres higher. In the southernmost part of the peninsula, where now you will see the bus station, lakes Luka and Totoriskiu used to touch each other, and the whole town seemed to be on an island. This is how Trakai is shown in the oldest town plans. Its picturesque and linear plan was determined by its complex natural state: squeezed in between the lakes, the town could not develop. Today, Trakai has a population of about 7,000. Its composition, according to a well-established tradition, is multi-ethnic: with Lithuanians at 60%, Poles at 20%, and also Russians, Belarusians and Karaites. The ethnic diversity of the town has remained, and the groups have kept many of their national characteristics and their own religious customs. The descendants of the Karaites, whom Vytautas brought from the Crimea in 1397, still live in the Small Town. The Tartars gave their names to the lakes, forests and the nearby village of Forty Tartars.
The Peninsula Castle. The Crusaders' records about their Crusades to Lithuania began to distinguish New Trakai from Old Trakai only as late as 1384. In the mid-14th century the Peninsula Castle used to stand between Lake Luka and Lake Galvė, separated from the town by a stone wall and a wide moat. This was one of the biggest Lithuanian castles, and had 11 towers of various sizes. In its construction and design it is similar to other buildings of defensive architecture in Europe of the time. The first part of the castle consists of a rectangular yard surrounded by a stone wall, with six towers of different sizes. The tower facing the city had the main gate into the castle. The main tower is the rectangular southern tower (13.4 by 13.1 metres), the only one with a contra-force supporting wall. With a lot of openings for shooting from, it was clearly intended for defence, and the thickness of the walls is up to four metres. Due to its size, design and location in the castle, the assumption is that the ruler of the castle lived in it. The fortress was attacked many times in the period 1382 to 1391. It was damaged not only by the Order, but also in the internecine feuds between the Lithuanian dukes. The ruined structure was rebuilt and fortified. After the Battle of Griinwald, construction work commenced very close to the lake on the site of the former wooden castle; however, the work was left incomplete. Also unfinished was the palace on Auku (Sacrifice) Hill, 17 metres in height. After Vytautas' death the work was stopped, and as a consequence of the devastating Russian invasion in 1655, the repair of the castles stopped. The Dominicans set up a house within the castle in the 18th century. They began to build a church there; however, they later ran short of money and made it into a chapel. When Lithuania lost its independence and was annexed by tsarist Russia in 1795, the castle, together with the Grand Duke's Palace of the Vilnius Lower Castle, was completely ruined (in the early 19th century). Its area of about four hectares was turned into a park. Nowadays, after a partial restoration, this is a frequent place for social events in the town.
The Old Town of Trakai (169 hectares) is one of the five old towns in the country that are protected by the state, and is unique for its natural position and its wooden architecture. The Peninsula Castle used to be situated at the crossroads of summer roads and winter routes which led across the lakes. Catholic and Orthodox residents lived to the south of the castle. The Orthodox believers in Trakai had five churches. Perched on the highest hill, in the 17th century, was the Bemardine monastery, famous for its cultural and educational activities. This southern part of the city mushroomed and saw great changes in the 20th century with the building of standard residential blocks of flats.
The northern part of the town still has a district of wooden houses, which is one of the most valuable parts of the town. The residential zones apparently took shape according to the ethnic group and religious affiliation of the population. Years ago, Trakai used to boast both a synagogue and a Tartar mosque. The only surviving one is the 18th-century Karaite kenessa. In the northern part of the peninsula non-Christians settled - Tartars and Karaites. When the latter moved there after Vytautas' return from the Crimea, trade improved with the Golden Horde. Russians, Germans and Jews used to have shops in Trakai. From 1423 fabrics, ermine, silver, nutmeg, pepper and other goods were exported. A market square formed in front of the Peninsula Castle. After 'Vytautas granted civic rights to Trakai in 1409, encouraging the growth of his town, a town hall was built in the square. The building has not survived. The Town Hall Square is marked by an 18th-century wooden statue of the town's guardian, St John Nepomucen, the patron saint of fishermen and towns located on water.
A short distance from the hill stands a parish church which once was part of Trakai's town wall. This massive stone church is called the Church of Our Lady of the Visitation and it was founded in 1409 by Vytautas. The church has the picture of the Madonna of Trakai which is famous for its miracles. Church festivals, which have been observed there since 1603, strengthened people's spirits, and gave hope to the disabled and the sick. The influx of pilgrims was also caused by the story that this extraordinary picture was given to Vytautas the Great as a gift in 1390 by the Byzantine Emperor. At the impressive festivities organised there in 1718, which lasted for eight days, the Madonna in this honourable picture was given a gold crown sent by the Pope, and recognised as the patron saint of Lithuania.
Karaimų street is the continuation of Vytauto street, and it connects the two parts of the town, the Christian and the Small Town. The surviving quarter of wooden single-storey houses is an ethnographic treasure. The ends of most of the houses face the street with three windows: one for God, another for Vytautas, the third for oneself. Vytautas was named "The Just One" by the Karaites. Over 400 Karaite families came from the Crimea after the Vytautas' war against the Golden Horde in the late 14th century. They were the descendants of a nomadic tribe which split from the Khazar khanate, and terrorised the Russians in the early Middle Ages. In Trakai they became the grand duke's bodyguards, as well as guarding the bridges to the Island Castle. Their symbol is an unusual weapon that has long since fallen out of use by other people – a two-pronged spear. The Karaite community was awarded the right of self-government separately from the city (1441), and were exempt from taxes. They tended their gardens and used a number of copper dishes and other things around the house. Their national dish - kibiny (a kind of pasty) - is served in the cafes of Trakai. As approximately 70 Karaites now inhabit Trakai, sometimes they joke that it would hardly be possible for any other whole nation to be invited to a wedding party. Hebrew was used in the liturgy in their kenessa; the Karaite religion has some elements of Islam and Judaism, and they keep to the Pentateuch.
Their language belongs to the Turkic group. A major contribution to the presentation of their culture was made by the forerunner of Karaite literature Simonas Kobeckis (1855-1933), and the scholar of oriental studies Seraja Schapschal (1973-1961) who in 1928 was elected permanently to act as spiritual and world leader of the Lithuanian and Polish Karaites. As a result of his and Simonas Firkovičius' initiative, in 1938 the Karaite Museum of History and Ethnography in Trakai was established. A couple of current Lithuanian envoys, well known for their diplomatic activity in Russia and Turkey, are the Karaites Romualdas Kozyrovičius and Halina Kobeckaitė.
The Island Castle. "Having left Vilnius, I took the road to Russia leading through the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. First I reached a very large city called Trakai, poorly built with exclusively wooden houses and unenclosed. There are two castles there, one of which is very old and wooden ... The old castle stands on one side of the lake, in open ground. The other one stands in the middle of a second lake, and is within a cannon shot of the old one. It is completely new, built from bricks following the French pattern..." This is the picture of Trakai given by a Flemish traveller Gillibert de Lannoy in 1414. Wars, the visits of diplomats and the technique of castle building, made Lithuania and its achievements famous. The new castle was built approximately 220 m from the shore. Within the construction period even the relations with the Teutonic Order became more peaceful: the construction was supervised by the Order's stonemason, Radike (Rathe) by name, sent by the grand master himself. The Island Castle was never captured by enemies.
The Main Tower of the castle. The Island Castle consists of two basic parts: a U-shaped grand ducal palace, and the bailey. The construction of the castle started with grand duke's palace. At the beginning of its construction the castle was burnt down – this has been confirmed by the soot found in the seams of the mortar, and the burnt stones and bricks. Later on the palace was surrounded by a strong wall. A deep moat (fosa), which was filled with water from the lake, separated the palace from the bailey. The two rectangular wings of the castle were connected by a nearly rectangular (9.2 by 9.6 metres) six-storey tower, which became the focal point of the castle. The first storey contained an archway leading into the central palace courtyard, which was narrow and deep like a well. It was entered across a drawbridge. The second floor of the tower housed the guard. A spiral staircase led to the very top. On the fifth floor there was a chapel, it was used by the family of the grand duke. The walls of the sixth floor had openings in them for firing from, and provided a fine view of the environs. The fires lit on the hills used to warn of any enemy approaching. The last time the Teutonic Order reached Trakai was in 1403. The attacks by the Crusaders came to an end only after the Battle of Žalgiris (Grunwald, Tannenberg) in 1410. Many historians refer to it as to the most prominent battle in Europe at the time, in which the power of the Order was broken, and even the grand master was killed. The joint Lithuanian-Polish troops stopped German expansion to the east for over 500 years. Vytautas prepared for the decisive battle in this castle. He led the army of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania himself. One of the halls in Trakai Castle has a copy of the picture "The Battle of Griinwald" by Jan Matejko.
The Grand Ducal quarters were of conventional design, with three floors, two nearly symmetrical structures and the surrounding terrace. Built from stones and bricks of all sizes, stones make up about 45 per cent. The Gothic castle also has some features of the Romanesque style. Part of the external walls have been whitewashed, and signs of later period, the Renaissance, can be seen on them. All the rooms were vaulted, and the window surrounds were decorated with profiled bricks. Fifteen kinds of profiled bricks and ceramic elements have been found in the brickwork. The mortar has lasted a long time, and has remained undecayed up to this day.
Wooden galleries led to the grand ducal quarters, which had three rooms on each floor. The private chambers were on the second floor of the left-hand wing. Only Vytautas' and the grand duchess' rooms were connected by an inner door. From the grand duke's room an emergency exit led through the treasury to the courtyard. The current exhibition of coins on the ground floor shows coins from the 16th to the 17th century found in Trakai. A Mint, which was known to exist in Trakai in the 16th century, was presumably established as far back as Kęstutis' time, and the first coins minted by him are dated 1360. The raised floor of the palace had a heating system installed: hot air rose via pipes, warming the reddish-brown floor tiles of burnt clay. A decorative Gothic portal on the second floor of the right-hand wing of the palace marks the entrance to the Great Hall. It was decorated with stained glass, wall paintings and vaults. At present the walls of the hall are covered with tapestries. The good acoustics are a feature of the hall. This is where chamber music concerts take place in the summer. Drama performances on historical themes are given in the castle courtyard.
The Bailey, including the casemates and the towers, was built in the second stage, after Vytautas defeated Jogaila and regained Trakai in 1392. At the beginning there used to be three small islands there, and as the ground was boggy, in order to strengthen it, stones and gravel were added.
The bailey, an irregular trapezium shape, is surrounded by a stone wall with three protruding towers at the comers. There was a prison in the southwest tower. The lower part of the towers are rectangular; higher up they are oval. The walls facing the town were the thickest. The apertures are large, and obviously suitable for using powder guns. Only a few rooms facing the lake have windows, which are very small.
The grand master of the Order was informed in 1409 that the castle was equipped with 15 cannons, and this made the island fortress virtually impregnable. In times of danger even the population of the town sought refuge in the castle. Along the western wall is a two-storey casemates with a tiled roof, where the castle garrison lived. On the other side of the courtyard, the eastern casemates is thought to have been used for stores. Nowadays there is a tavern there open in the summer.
The owner of Trakai Castle. In the early 15th century Trakai flourished. The town received many notable guests and foreign envoys. Vytautas was said to know Latin, German and Russian, and to have understood Tartar. The grand duke was a soldier and a diplomat, with a quick and inquiring mind, who did not drink alcohol and was famous for his hospitality. The grand duke's guests stayed in the "big castle", the Peninsula Castle.
Receptions were given and treaties were signed in the Island Castle Great Hall. The hall was adorned with stained glass, and the walls were painted with frescoes at the beginning of the 15th century. The frescoes portrayed scenes from the life of the castle: Vytautas was painted sitting on the throne or making decisions. In 1413, Trakai saw the reception of the Emperor Sigmund's envoy B. Makra, appointed to be the arbiter in a dispute with the Order over the issue of the borders of Žemaitija (Samogitia). Vytautas raised him to the knighthood, and gave him a belt of gold, spurs and expensive furs.
The 15th-century Polish historian Dlugosz records that Vytautas' horses were saddled with gold saddles. These, along with the horses, Vytautas gave to his daughter's husband, Grand Duke Vasilly I of Moscow (he had no other children). Thirteen times (between 1413 and 1430) the Polish King Jogaila visited with his entourage.
Vytautas' wife Ona, and Jogaila's sister Alexandra, Duchess of Masuria, both surprised the German knights with their elegance, and were considered the most beautiful women in Eastern Europe. Grand Duchess Ona Sudimantaite (circa. 1350-1418), though it was not common at the time, could write, and used to accompany Vytautas on all his expeditions; she was also taken hostage by the Crusaders, and she would help her husband in many of his affairs. The grand master of the Order sent Grand Duchess Ona treasures, the newly invented clavichord and also sweetmeats. The castle witnessed chess games, entertainment and feasts. When Vytautas was old and powerful, Emperor Sigmund of the Holy Roman Empire recommended crowning him king. The only king in the history of Lithuania had been Mindaugas (1253-1263). A great feast was prepared, outstanding guests invited ... But the envoy with the royal crown sent by the Pope did not cross the Polish-Lithuanian border. In late autumn in 1430 the grand duke died in his castle. The Bykhovst Chronicle says that the water of Lake Galvė turned red, and stayed red for three days ...
An exhibition of applied arts is now in the barracks in the front part of the castle. It is a natural continuation of the Trakai Historical Museum. Unfortunately, the castle interior from the time of Vytautas has not survived, and during the war against Russia in 1655-1661 the castles were burnt down. Heraldry enthusiasts can see in the exhibition the coats of arms of the Lithuanian nobility, engraved on rings and seals. The coats of arms of Kestutis and the Duchy of Trakai from the mid-15th century are also shown.
Even after losing its strategic importance, the Duchy of Trakai (later called a palatinate, or district administrative region) remained an important administrative unit. It included the vast areas of Trakai, Kaunas, Upyte and Grodno (now in Belarus). The position of the palatine of Trakai at the court of the grand duke was one of the most prestigious. Jonas Goštautas, the influential palatine of Trakai, was appointed in 1441 as the guardian of the 13-year-old ruler Casimir from the Jogaila home. Under his rule (1440-1492) Trakai held the country's treasury and the Lithuanian Metrics, the main archive of the grand duke, which was only moved to Vilnius in 1551. Although politically Vilnius has long overshadowed Trakai, the place has not lost its charm. The most famous noble families of Lithuania, the Goštautas, Sapiega, Radvila, Pacas, Oginskis and Tiškevičius (Tyszkiewicz) families all bought land and had country houses here. Their way of life and their interests are reflected by works of art, everyday objects, an 18th-century collection of pipes, the furniture from Count Tiškevičius' Užutrakis Palace, and hunting trophies. Bears were hunted to extinction in 19th-century Lithuania. Along with the aurochs and bisons, they were the pride of Trakai zoo in the Middle Ages. The zoo, which was famous all over Europe, was founded in 1384, in Kęstutis' reign, and the location has preserved its name right up to now.
Restoration. The 19th-century castles gradually decayed, aided by the residents and by time. Winds and rain washed away the surviving part of the frescoes of the Great Hall, parts of which, in 1822, were recorded by the artist Vincas Smakauskas. The ruins of the Island Castle, portrayed in the works of the Polish poets Juliusz Stovacki and Wtadislaw Syrokomie and of the Lithuanian bard Maironis, move us not only by their evocation of the great past, but also by the dramatic fate of the castle itself. The country did not care, and an initiative was taken only by a few people. The archaeologist V. Šukevičius leased the Island Castle for 12 years from the Civic Magistrate in 1901, and took on the responsibility of preserving it from further decay. Only since the year 1926 have the castles been systematically taken care of. The ruins of the Island Castle were surveyed, and the decision was made to restore them. The castles were declared a historic monument. Most attention was directed towards the Island Castle: 1935 saw the beginning of the reconstruction of the Great Hall, the towers and the bailey walls. Due to a lack of funds, the work was held up for a few years. In 1939, when the Vilnius district was returned to Lithuania, the architectural engineer J. Borowski (who was in charge from 1929 to 1941) was invited to take part. He prepared the first plan for the reconstruction of the Island Castle. With the building work renewed, a roof was put on the Great Hall in 1949. Archaeological excavations also began on the Peninsula Castle, whose towers were on the verge of destruction. The year 1961, however, saw a nationwide Soviet action against cultural monuments and their restoration, which slowed down the work. Irreparable damage was done to the Old Town of Trakai: its area was reduced, the synagogue, an 18th-century inn and other structures which should have been preserved, were all pulled down. After a break, the restoration work was renewed, and the architects and the initiators of the castle restoration, Bronius Kruminis and Stanislovas Mikulionis (who worked from 1955 to 1987), built the angular tower in the bailey of the Island Castle, and this changed the volume and spatial composition of the whole castle. The Island Castle, the symbol of the city, regained in essence its 15th-century appearance.
When independence was restored, Old Trakai became accessible for research. It had been an object of interest for a long time, since the wish to search for the remnants of the castle had originated. Only as late as 1994 was an important conclusion drawn, that Old Trakai had a castle built of red bricks in the Baltic manner of bricklaying. A 15th-century sacrificial altar was found. The idea originated that people had lived here from the first century after the birth of Christ.
Vytautas the Great has long been a symbol of the independence of Lithuania. A portrait of the national hero also hangs in the President's Office of the Republic of Lithuania. His personality combined perfectly masculinity, determination, prudence and diplomacy - qualities which have always been and always will be indispensable qualities for a leader. This will always be confirmed by Trakai, the mythical sacred city created by Lithuanian rulers.
Užutrakis. Situated on Lake Galvė, Užutrakis was the estate of Count Juozapas Tiškevičius (Jozef Tyszkiewicz), which is now being restored and renovated. The counts lived in it until the Second World War. The Tiškevičius family is said to have had 99 manor houses. A short way from Trakai, in Lentvaris, a former house of theirs built in the neo-Gothic style is now a carpet factory. Užutrakis manor was built 1896 in the neo-Classical style, with columns and a romantic view towards the Island Castle from the terrace (the architect was Jozef Huss).
The house used to have a hall of mirrors, a ballroom and a huntsman's hall. The counts' dining-room furniture and an English Wedgewood dinner service are on display in the Trakai Museum of Applied. Art. The park surrounding the manor, with its 13 ponds and statues of ancient goddesses, was designed by a famous landscape architect, Edouard Andre. The parterre of the 80-hectare park is crossed by two lime avenues. There are 25 species of local (mostly coniferous) and 52 species of foreign trees, bushes and plants growing in the park.
When no official events are taking place, it will be open to the public. Užutrakis has been included in tourist routes as an example of the culture and art of manors in Lithuania.
Your choice in Trakai - tourist excursions, resting by the waterside, aboat ride, a yacht or motorbike ride, swimming, fishing, camping or simply a quiet time in a cafe on the bank ... In June you may want to see the "Amber oars" International Rowing Regatta. The "Living History" programme projects. Royal Palace Theatre performances, the Prehistory experimental centre with their social events in the Peninsula and Island castles add to and broaden the historical mind, enrich through living pictures and impressions, and it seems that the shadows of past ages come to life again... The Trakai Castle Festival, which is becoming increasingly popular, is taking on the status of a tradition. Its inspiration is the legendary Russian ballerina, a ballet-dancer with both Lithuanian and Russian citizenship, the world-famous Maya Plisetskaya.
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