7 historic sites
Castles in Lithuania
Lithuania was the last pagan country in Europe — converted to Christianity only in 1387, after resisting crusading orders for nearly 200 years. Trakai Island Castle, rising from Lake Galvė on a peninsula of red brick, is the most iconic castle in the Baltic states. Gediminas Tower crowns the hill above Vilnius, capital of the medieval Grand Duchy of Lithuania — once the largest state in Europe, stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea.
lithuania · Trakai County
Trakai Island Castle
A red-brick Gothic castle on its own island in a lake — one of the most beautiful medieval sights in the Baltic
lithuania · Vilnius County
Gediminas Tower
The symbol of Vilnius and Lithuania — a medieval tower above the city of amber
lithuania · Vilnius Old Town, Vilnius, Lithuania
Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania
The rebuilt seat of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania — reconstructed over authentic medieval foundations beside Cathedral Square, where the rulers of one of medieval Europe's largest states held court
lithuania · Kaunas, confluence of the Nemunas and Neris rivers
Kaunas Castle
The first brick castle the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ever built — raised at the Nemunas-Neris confluence specifically to hold the Teutonic Order at the gates
lithuania · Tauragė County, Nemunas River, Raudonė village
Raudonė Castle
The Teutonic fortress the Baltic Crusades named Bayersburg — its 34-metre tower still stands and is still climbable, offering the best view of the Nemunas floodplain
lithuania · Jurbarkas District, Nemunas River, near Smalininkai
Panemunė Castle
A Dutch architect's 1604 Baroque manor on the Teutonic frontier — its last private owner commanded the November Uprising against Russia and the Tsarist authorities took it the day he died
lithuania · Kaunas District, Nevėžis River, ~9km northwest of Kaunas
Raudondvaris Manor
From Teutonic knights' garrison to Queen Barbara Radziwiłł's manor — a property that passed through the hands of the Grand Duchy's most powerful queen before an aristocratic family filled it with old masters