The Lithuanian summer flies so fast that it makes no sense to go to the Baltic countries to sunbathe on the seashore. You need to go to Lithuania not for the sun, but for the air. Climatotherapy is the main medical procedure in Lithuania. A thick cocktail infused with pines, algae and herbs is considered a better medicine than mud and water procedures.
Well, and, of course, tourists are of great interest to architectural monuments of Lithuania. Especially those that replete with haunted tales. And the popular belief says: where there are ghosts, there must certainly be a treasure guarded by them nearby. For the thrill, the search for ghosts and the treasures that they guard, we went to Trakai. For it is in the ancient Trakai castle that the medieval ghost lives, which comes out of the lake at night and wanders around the castle. However, you can see it only under certain conditions. But first things first.
Stopping in Palanga and enjoying the Baltic beaches and waves, we head inland. In the Middle Ages, Trakai was a rich center of princely life, and there was a seething activity, now it is a small quiet town with the most famous architectural monument - Trakai Castle. The historical value and, most importantly, the integrity of the Gothic architecture of the castle attracts not only tourists, but also knight's clubs, film studios, theaters. In the early days of July, the opera "Pilenai" is staged in the castle every year. Often you can see jousting tournaments or shooting a movie.
With the advent of the castle several legends are associated. One of them says that the Lithuanian prince Gediminos, having successfully hunted on one of the lakes, decided to build a castle on this occasion. Nobody had ever built castles on water before him (Venice and Petersburg appeared later), but the orders of the prince were not discussed at that time, but were carried out. Sources say that the castle on the waters of the four lakes Luka, Totorishkyu, Galve and Akmyan was built in just two years and from this castle to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, an underground passage was laid with a length of 20 kilometers. Well, the first mention of the castle in the annals dates back to 1337.
According to another legend, the son of Gediminos - Keistutis met in a forest, near Palanga, a girl of unprecedented beauty Birutu. The prince brought the girl to old Trakai, where he played a wedding. But his wife, who was born on the Baltic coast, in the present Palanga did not like the fact that there are no ponds near the residence. Yielding to the wishes of his wife, the prince in the 14th century began the construction of the castle on one of the islands. He moved there only in 1376, as mentioned in the chronicle. Soon, a young wife gave birth to his son Vitovt.
It was Vitovtu who was to become the most famous prince. Because under him, the Principality of Lithuania extended from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, and it was he who completed the construction of this wonderful castle begun by his father. The castle is really beautiful, it is quite large and very interesting in architecture, replete with frescoes and stained-glass windows depicting princely life of the 14-17th centuries.
During the construction of the castle, relations between the Lithuanians and the Order of the Crusaders were excellent. But suddenly, for no reason, Vytautas quarreled with one of the crusaders. A duel took place, during which Vytautas chopped off the crusader’s head. And threw this head into the lake. Since then, the lake began to be called Galve, which means “head” in Lithuanian.
This fight gave rise to many legends. One of them says that the guards of Trakai Castle repeatedly during the night during a severe thunderstorm observe how a white glow appears over the lake, which eventually takes the form of a large motionless white head in a knight's helmet. At the same time, another large white radiance appeared in the form of a knight in white robes near the Southwest Tower, reminiscent (judging by the image that was preserved in the castle) of Prince Vitovt. The image of the prince descended onto the defensive wall and through the gates opening by themselves disappeared into the walls of the castle.
In addition to the guards of the knight, many Trakai residents saw it. And another legend arose: if you sit on the opposite side of the lake on the clear full moon night and look at the tower for a long, long time, you can see a ghost.
