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Baltic Sea. Crystal Glimpses of a Fairytale
Sezione 1
Sezione 2
Trakai, Castle
Vytautas "the Great". 1428
PLAY ME
Appearing in the mist,
surrounded by water as if floating,
stands the infamous Trakai Castle, a majestic building located on the island of the same name, here in Lithuania, in the middle of Lake Galvé. It was built of stone by order of my father, Grand Duke Kestutis. Being convinced that this was the safest place in the land, he decided to move his residence here. Originally,
the castle was built as a defensive fortress to protect the Grand Duke of Lithuania and Vilnius, the capital of the kingdom, from the Teutonic crusader knights, who were causing trouble in the region. After the knights were defeated at the Battle of Grunwald, Trakai no longer served as a military fortress, but was transformed into a ducal palace.
The palace was majestic and had stone foundations with red brick towers, as well as wooden balconies that ran all around it; these balconies can be distinguished even from a distance. It had a remarkable French Gothic style.
My father used to tell me stories about the castle; his idea of building it in the middle of the lake was in honour of my mother, who was born in a seaside town. After her death, I supervised the reconstruction of the castle, which I did with great joy.
Sezione 3
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