Trakai – Cold Beer, Kibinai and a Lakeside Castle Retreat
The old royal lake resort of the Lithuanian people is home to two-hundred lakes. Located just 17km from the capital of Lithuania, Vilnius, this water based paradise is bound to be busy! Come spend a whole day exploring this fantastic town and try its delicious famous pork based Kibinai pastry!
Table of Contents
A Brief History
Trakai, the Lithuanian world for glade, was once the seat of the kings of Lithuania before it fell into a long period of neglect. Today it has regained it splendour, waiting to charm visitors with its moving history and great food.
Grand Duchy of Lithuania, The Teutonic Knights and the Commonwealth
According to legend, Trakai was founded by the Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas, himself the founder of the Lithuania State. It happened when he come across a beautiful lake-surrounded place, not far from his capital Kernavė. Awed by its beauty he decided to build a castle, where the current structure sits today.
The city was first meantime in 1337, by way of the chronicles of the Teutonic Knights. This date is considered to be that of the founding of the city. After Vilnius was made capital, his son Kęstutis inherited the land and it is under his rule that the city would reach it’s peak. During to some squabbling between Kęstutis and Jogaila (the future King of Poland), the former was killed. His son Vytautas, along with a contingent of Teutonic Knights captured the castle in 1383. Later Vytautas and Jogaila would sign a treaty ending their feud. Vytautas loved Trakai and spend more time here than in his capital city of Vilnius.
The town gained Magdeburg Rights in 1409 but the caslte lost its importance as a defensive structure after the threat of the Teutonic Order was broken at the Battle of Tannenberg (Battle of Grunwald) in 1410. After this event the castle was turned into a luxurious prison for high ranking prisoners. By 1569, the Polish-Lithuanian State was formed.
Russian Empire
While the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth crumbled under the weight of foreign invasion over the course of the 17th century, Russia burned the town and destroyed both of its castles. The town lost its importance after that, but the ruins became a romantic landmark. The city was annexed to Russia in 1795, after the Partitions of Poland.
Lithuanian Republic, Soviet Union and the Modern Era
At the end of the First World War, Lithuania declared its independence, yet the city ended up becoming part of Poland along with Wilno (Vilnius). One of the first orders of business was the restore national symbols and this is exactly what happened in Trakai. Construction began in 1929, as thecastle was a symbol of the Commonwealth. Work was almost complete when the Soviet Union invaded in 1939, followed by the Nazis and again by the Soviet Union. Reconstruction work was stopped during this time and 5000 of the city’s Jews were murdered, a large number for such a small center. Furthermore a large number of the city’s Poles, once a substantial minority, were repatriated back to Poland, a further blow. In 1961, work again came to a halt on the castle when the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev declared that the rebuilding of the castle would a “glorification of Lithuania’s feudal past”. This absurd notion just cements how paranoid the Russians were about symbols of national identity.
Works on the castle resumed in the 1980’s and the castle is a major tourism draw for the modern independent nation.
Arrival in Trakai
Taking the train from Vilnius central train station you will have a splendid look at the rolling plains of the Lithuanian countryside. In this part of the nation you actually have some variety in the landscape with small hills and forests dotting the landscape of prime farmland.
Exploring Trakai
Leaving the confines of the train station, you will be “faced” with a very pleasant 3km (30m) walk past the bus station, along Vytauto boulevard and its pretty wooden cottages to the castle. The town of Trakai is built on a lakefront peninsula and around every cobblestone street lies a new pleasantry waiting to be discovered.
The Town of Trakai
While walking into town, I recommend a stop at the old castle mound. Little is left of the second (and less famous castle) but for an earthen mound, a few towers and sections of walls. My favorite part of the town itself is the wealth of stunning wooden cottages, typical of the Lithuanian countryside.
These also come in a variety of painted colors and look fantastic on the narrow cobblestone streets!
Religious structures in town include the diminutive Trakai Orthodox Church of the Birth of the Holy Marry, known for its distinctive fresco of Mary painted as a heading into the central spire. The more impressive building is the Trakai St. Virgin Mary Church, a structure constructed under king Vytautus in 1409. It contains The Mother of God of Trakai. Painted in the 15th century, it is rumored to have been a baptism gift to Vytautus from Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos.
The Islands and the Castle
When you reach the tip of the Peninsula you will see the main castle on an island in the distance. A series of two boardwalks will take you across the lake to the second island, on which the castle is located upon.
On the first island you will find a stunning carving of King Vytautas.
you will aso get a glimpse at the town and its boat launch!
Finally you will come across the castle, it is not uncommon for boats to be moored outside.
When you enter though the outer keep you will see the full build out of the central keep and tower. This central part is the Ducal Palace. For those of you who have spent some time exploring the Baltic region, the design of this structure will feel familiar. The masonry building looks like a Teutonic Castle as during a truce with the Order, a curious thing happened, the Order’s stonemason Radike supervised the construction. This may be the only time I have heard of the Teutons building for a people they were actively trying to colonize. This is 4 years before the Battle of Tannenburg (Battle of Grunwald), so I’m sure it couldn’t have gone over well!
The ducal palace has a fine inner yard that can be accessed via a wood staircase going around. The climb of which is actually quite a bit of fun!
Do make sure to check out the old chapel with its stunning vaulted ceilings.
As well as the many paintings that adorn its walls!
Kibinai by the Lake (A Karaites Special)
When done at the castle go sit down at a restaurant for some Kibinai, a Trakai delicacy. This pastry is of an interesting origin, one that plays into the history of both the Lithuanian states greatest hero and the Judaic faith!
The pastries themselves are a wonderful blend of cooked mutton and onion in a strange oblong dough shell. The pastry is mostly produced only in Trakai due to the fact that it is home to the Lithuanian Karaite (Karaim) community. This ethnic minority are a variant of Crimean Tatars, of course coming from the Crimean Peninsula. While most Tatars are museum and Turkish speaking this group uses the Turkish language but are of the Jewish persuasion. These people were brought to settle in Trakai in 1397 and 1398 by Vytautas the Great. He hired them as his guards in order to thank them for their help during his fight against the Golden Horde and even allowed the ma degree of self governance.
Before leaving Trakai make sure to stop at the Karaim kenesa, a wooden synagogue. It is very rare to see a building of this style!
Now back to the Kibinai! Find yourself a terrace with a lakefront view of the castle so that you may enjoy your pastry.
Even order some tall pints to go with its, Svyturys always pairs well with it!
Just throwing this out there, these signs were funny for many reasons. Take a look once, then anyther and let me know what you think!
Other Attractions
To the north of Trakai, on the opposite side of the lake, you will find Užutrakis – Tyszkiewicz Manor. A part of the trust that is Trakai National Park, this lakefront estate has been preserved for future generations. The previous owners were chased out of their estate by the Soviets and their home nationalized. The house was vandalized, the gardens left to wither and its priceless art stolen. After being plundered it was then used as a sanitarium. Today it is a museum to a world long passed by!
Conclusion
Trakai is a stunning lakefront wonderland and the care taken into the castle’s restoration reflects it’s importance to the Lithuanian nation. Sitting by the lake for a beer and looking out at the building is almost a surreal experience. This fairy tale setting is not to be missed!
