Trakai

Trakai(Trakai; seenames sectionfor alternative and historic names) is a city and lake resort inLithuania. It lies 28 kilometres (17 miles) west ofVilnius, the capital of Lithuania or just 7 kilometres (4 miles) from the administrative limits of the Lithuanian capital city. Because of its proximity to Vilnius, Trakai is a popular tourist destination. Trakai is the administrative centre ofTrakai district municipality. The city is inhabited by 5,357people, according to 2007 estimates. A notable feature of Trakai is that the city was built and preserved by people of different nationalities. Historically, communities ofKaraims,Tatars,Lithuanians,Russians,JewsandPoleslived here. Trakai was themedievalcapital city of Lithuania.
Historically, theTrakai Island Castle, whose construction was finished by Grand DukeVytautas, served as a residence of theGrand Dukes of Lithuania.
The name of the city was first recorded in chronicles from 1337 in German asTracken(later also speltTraken) and is derived from theLithuanianwordtrakai(singular:trakasmeaning "glade").Since the time of thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the city has been known asTrokiinPolish. Its other alternate names includeТро́кі (Tróki, historic)/Трака́й (Trakáj, modernBelarusian),Trok(Yiddish),Troky, and Traki.The name is the origin of the surnameTrotsky(lit: of Traki), whichLeon Trotskywould later adopt as apseudonymto avoid profiling by theRussian Imperial Police,the Polish variant of the surname isTrocki.
The majority of Trakai's inhabitants (66.5%) in 2011 were Lithuanian, although the city also has a substantial Polish minority (19%), as well as Russians (8.87%).
According to the census of 2021, there were 5426 inhabitants in Trakai city: 3694Lithuanians(68.1%), 1020Poles(18.8%), 395Russians(7.3%), 62Belarusians(1.1%). There are other traditional minorities among Trakai inhabitants –Karaites,Tatars(also known asLipka Tatars),Jews(also known asLitvaks),Russians Old Believersand others.
There are 200lakesin the region, the deepest beingGalvėwith its 21islands. Galvė covers an area of 3.88 km, Vilkokšnis lake – 3.37 km, the lake of Skaistis – 2.96 km. There areTrakai Historical National ParkandAukštadvarisRegional Park founded in the territory of the region.
Trakai Historical National Park was founded on 23 April 1991 to preserve Trakai as a centre of Lithuanian statehood as well as the park's authentic nature. The park covers 82 km, 34 kmof which are covered by forests, and 130 kmof which are covered by lakes.
Aukštadvaris Regional Park was founded in 1992 to preserve the valuable landscapes in the upper reaches ofVerknėandStrėva. The area of the park is 153.5 km, most of which is covered by forests. There are 72 lakes here, the biggest of which is Vilkokšnis.
Trakai is a city built on water. The city is surrounded by the lakes of Luka (Bernardinai), Totoriškės, Galvė, Akmena, Gilušis. There are a number of architectural, cultural and historical monuments in Trakai. The history museum in the castle was established in 1962. Festivals and concerts take place in theisland castlein summer.
The first settlements in this area appeared as early as the first millennium A.D. The city, as well as its surroundings, started developing in the 13th century in the place ofSenieji Trakai(Old Trakai). According to a legend after a successful hunting party, Grand DukeGediminasdiscovered a beautiful lake-surrounded place not far fromKernavė, then capital of theGrand Duchy of Lithuania, and decided to build a castle in the location. This was how theOld Trakai Castlewas built in Senieji Trakai. The name of Trakai was first mentioned inTeutonic Knights'chronicles in 1337. This year is considered to be the official date of city's foundation. When Grand Duke Gediminas finally settled inVilnius, Senieji Trakai was inherited by his sonKęstutis. TheDuchy of Trakaideveloped and the city entered its best decades.
Kęstutismoved the town from Senieji Trakai to its current location, which is sometimes known as Naujieji Trakai. The new location was a place of intensive construction: a new castle was built in the strait between lakes Galvė and Luka and known as thePeninsula Castle, and another one, known as theIsland Castle, on an island in Lake Galvė. A village grew around the castles. Vicinity of Trakai was protected bySenieji Trakai, Strėva, Bražuolė, Daniliškės and otherhillfortsfrom attacks of the Teutonic Knights. Despite the protection, both wooden castles were successfully raided by the Teutonic Knights several times in a row.
The town was in the center of a conflict between Grand DukeJogaila(later to become King of Poland) with his uncleKęstutis. In 1382 Jogaila's and Kęstutis's armies met near Trakai, but Jogaila tricked Kęstutis and imprisoned him inKreva. A few weeks later Kęstutis died in captivity and Jogaila transferred the castles to his brotherSkirgaila, who became the governor of Lithuania Proper. However, his rule was briefly interrupted when in 1,383 joint forces of Kęstutis's sonVytautasand the Teutonic Knights captured the town. In 1392, Vytautas and Jogaila signed theAstrava Agreementending their quarrel. Vytautas became the Grand Duke of Lithuania while Jogaila technically remained his superior. Vytautas also regained his father's lands, including Trakai. Despite his official capital being in Vilnius, Vytautas spent more time in Trakai. In early 15th century he replaced the older, wooden fortress with a stone-built castle. Some design elements were borrowed from the castles of the Teutonic Knights as Vytautas spent some time with the Teutons forming an alliance against Jogaila in earlier years.
Trakai became a political and an administrative centre of the Duchy, sometimes named ade factocapital of Lithuania.The construction of the brick castles was finished and a Catholic church was built. In 1409, the town was granted withMagdeburg Rights; it is one of the first towns in Lithuania to get city rights. The village started rapidly developing into a town. Also in 1409 Grand DukeVytautas the Greatmade Trakai thecapital cityof Lithuania and relocated the State Treasury of Lithuania andLithuanian Metricato Trakai.In 1413, it became a seat of theTrakai Voivodeshipand a notable center of administration and commerce.
After theGrand Duchy of Lithuaniajoined theKingdom of Polandto form thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealthin 1569, the castles remained a royal property, but the town's importance gradually declined, with the nearby Vilnius and the political center of the Commonwealth inKrakówbecoming far more important. Nevertheless, it continued to be the seat of the localSejmik. In Polish sources, the town name was started to be referred to asTroki. In 1477, the castle on the lake was a meeting place of KingCasimir IVwithVenetianenvoys. After that, the castle became a luxurious prison for political prisoners.Sigismund I the Oldimprisoned the members ofGoštautaifamily, believed to be conspiring withMichael Glinski. Also Helena, widow of KingAlexanderwas kept there in order to prevent her escape to theGrand Duchy of Moscow. The castle was refurbished by KingSigismund I the Old, who set up his summer residence there; however, after his death in 1548, the castle gradually fell into disrepair.
During thewars between Russia and Polandbetween 1654 and 1667, the town was plundered and burnt. In the aftermath of the war with theTsardom of Russiain 1655, both castles were demolished and the town's prosperity ended. The castle ruins remained a historical landmark. During theGreat Northern War(1700–1721) Trakai was plundered again, as famine and plague swept the country.
After thePartitions of Polandin 1795, the area was annexed by theRussian Empire. AfterWorld War I, the area became part of the restoredRepublic of Poland. In 1929, the Polish authorities ordered reconstruction and restoration of the Trakai Island Castle. The works in the Upper castle were almost complete in 1939, when theInvasion of Polandstarted and the area was soon annexed by theSoviet Union, then byNazi GermanyduringOperation Barbarossa. During the war, more than 5,000 Jews from the Trakai region were murdered by the Nazis. In 1944, duringOperation Tempest, the town was liberated by joint forces of the underground PolishHome ArmyandSoviet partisans. AfterWorld War IIit was again annexed by the Soviet Union and made part of theLithuanian SSRin the Soviet Union; subsequently many of the city's and area's ethnic Polish inhabitants left for therecovered Territoriesof thePolish People's Republic.
In 1961, the reconstruction of the upper castle and a high tower construction were completed; however, the works came to a halt as a result ofNikita Khrushchev's speech of 21 December 1960, where theFirst Secretarydeclared that reconstruction of the castle would be a sign of glorification of Lithuania'sfeudalpast. Restoration work in the lower castle were not resumed until the 1980s and were completed by Lithuanian authorities in the early 1990s. Today the Island Castle serves as the main tourist attraction, hosting various cultural events such as operas and concerts.
Karaim(or Karaites) are a smallTurkic-speakingreligious andJewishethnic group resettled to Trakai by Grand DukeVytautasin 1397 and 1398 fromCrimea, after one of his successful military campaigns against theGolden Horde. Both Christian and Karaim communities were granted separate self-government in accordance with theMagdeburg rights. Despite ever-increasingPolonisation, Trakai remained a notable center of Karaim cultural and religious life. Scholars who were active in Trakai in the 16th and 17th centuries includeIsaac of Troki(c. 1533 – c. 1594), Joseph ben Mordechai Malinowski, Zera ben Nathan of Trakai, Salomon ben Aharon of Trakai, Ezra ben Nissan (died in 1666) and Josiah ben Judah (died after 1658). Some of the Karaims became wealthy and noble.
The local Karaim community, which was the backbone of the town's economy, suffered severely during theKhmelnytsky Uprisingand the massacres of 1648. By 1680, only 30 Karaim families were left in the town. Their traditions, including not acceptingneophytes, prevented the community from regaining its strength. Early in the 18th century war, famine, andplaguereduced the Karaims to three families. By 1765 Karaim community increased to 300.Trakai's Karaim kenesais a rare example of a survivingwooden synagoguewith an interior dome.Kibinai, which is the traditional Karaim pastry, became a local speciality and are mentioned in tourist guides.
Trakai istwinnedwith: