Trakai is a town situated between three lakes, 28 kilometres to the west of Vilnius. On your way there you travel through the historic lands of the former Duchy of Trakai, whose centre, Old Trakai, was the capital of Lithuania in the Middle Ages. Not tar away (3 km), in the midst of the lakes, an other settlement was founded which has grown into the present town of Trakai . This town did not grow much later on: therefore, Trakai today, together with its environs, is an area strongly representative of the history of the Lithuanian state. Its three castles point to the exceptional significance of its place in national life. Even after losing its military importance, the location long remained the residence of the rulers of Lithuania . The two castles which have survived to this day are the most famous works of defensive architectur e in Lithuania . The process of founding the town and its surrounding settlements in the 13th century went hand in hand with the process of the integration of the Lithuanian territo ries into a unif ied state. In those days the newly founded and yet pagan Grand Duchy of Lithuania was attacked on a regular basis by the Teutonic Order, and for two centuries had to withstand invasions from Christian Europe. Fortresses were built in all the strategically important locati ons nationwide. Trakai was mentioned as on e of th e crucial political and defensive centres of th e state. Enemies on the Crusades to Vilnius would avoid these locations in ord er to avoid their garrisons. The most Fierc e bat tles took place at the Peninsula Castle . As early as 1377, however, the German chronicler Wigandus Marburgensis pointed out that the Crusades "in the land of Trakai " have besi eg ed "the new castle ". Thus Trakai was first recorded in history with this reference to the Island Cast le . Nowadays the restored Island Castle (late 14th and early 15th century) is the only one of its kind in Easte rn Europe . In 1991 the national and historic park status was granted to Trakai.