It was there that Vytautas died in 1430. Ruined during the wars in the 18th century, the castle is nearing its restoration and houses an impressive History Museum at the present time. Trakai is a small town, its main attraction being the old part, notable for the wooden houses built by the Karaites, a tribe of Turkic people who were brought to Lithuania by Grand Duke Vytautas from the Crimea and who served as his bodyguards. In and around Trakai there are about 20 lakes, the largest of them being Lake Galve, an established centre of water sports in Lithuania. Almost one-fifth of the park area is occupied by lakes.
Forests take up one-third of the park territory.
Trakai is increasingly becoming one of Lithuania's busiest recreation zones, hosting a number of international events every year, like the hot air balloon festival of 1990. The environs of Trakai, with old villages and ancient castle hills, attract not only those interested in history but also numerous lovers of nature. In the Varnikai - Ilgelis and Plomenai nature reserves one can find a number of rare species of birds and plants. The Trakai National Park is visited by over 300 thousand people every year.