Trakai castle by Augustë

                                                                   The visit to Trakai castle 

                            Augustë, a student from Raudondvaris school told us the story of Trakai castle



"According to the legend, after a successful hunting party, Grand Duke Godiminas discovered a beautiful place which was surrounded by many lakes. It wasn´t far away from a town called Kernave, then the capital of the Grand Duke of Lithuania. he decided to build a castle there. That is now the old castle of Trakai, built in 1337, considered to be the official date of town's foundation, as it is the year that the name of Trâkai was first mentioned in Teutonic knights chronicles. A notable feature of Trâkai is that this town was built and preserved by people of different nationalities. Historically, communities of Karaims, Tatars, Lithuanians, Russians, Jews and Poles who lived here and some, to this day, still do. Entire Trâkai town is surrounded by multiple lakes,about 200 of them, therefore is long and narrow. These lakes attract tourists, as well as many people from Vilnius and other nearby cites. It is popular to rent a boat, a yatch, a catamaran for a fun sail, or simply going  swimming or sunbathing by the lake. The tourists often speak highly of the Hill of Angels and the Trakai historical National Park, and of course, Sengi Kinibing for those who want to try Kibinai, traditional pastries filled with mutton and onion. Later the castle served also as a prison. "

                                                                                                                      Augustë