- Senieji Trakai Castle
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The church and cloister containing the remains of the castle
Senieji Trakai Castle was a castle in Senieji Trakai (literally: Old Trakai) in Lithuania.
The first enclosure type brick castle was built by Grand Duke Gediminas, who transferred the capital of Lithuania from Kernavė to Trakai (today's Senieji Trakai) before 1321. The weddings of Kęstutis and Birutė were held there and it was a birthplace of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas in 1350.
The castle in Senieji Trakai was destroyed by the Teutonic Order in 1391, was subsequently abandoned and never rebuilt since the new castle was erected in Trakai by Kęstutis. The ruins of the castle were granted to Benedictian monks by Vytautas in 1405. It is supposed that the present monastery building dating from the 15th century holds the remains of the Gediminas' castle.
The archaeological research on the hillfort mound has been carried out in 1996-1997. The findings confirmed the existence of a former rectangular masonry castle wall which had surrounded the hill. It is supposed that the residential buildings had occupied the area near the church and the churchyard.
See also
Categories:- Castles in Lithuania
- 14th-century architecture
- Christian monasteries in Lithuania
- Gothic architecture in Lithuania
- Lithuanian building and structure stubs
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