Trakai also celebrates the 625th anniversary of the arrival of the Caraeans and hopes for many visitors.
Trakai has two important dates in its calendar of events this year. These are the 700th birthday of the town and the 625th anniversary of the arrival of the smallest ethnic minority in Lithuania – the Karaites.
On the last weekend of January, these dates, which will be marked by many events throughout the year, will be presented in the capital Vilnius at Lithuania’s largest international tourism fair ADVENTUR. Visitors will also get acquainted with the latest tourism news that awaits them in Trakai in 2022. They will be announced by the well-known musician Saulius Petreikis, who became famous as a multi-instrumentalist. His ancient, stylised music will be played both in the exhibition and throughout the year in Trakai.
The Trakai Tourist Information Centre invites all those interested to stay longer in Trakai. It offers services for families, themed excursions, recreation with animals and active leisure activities – which can also be accessed on the site www.trakai-visit.lt.
After consultation with historians in 2020, it was agreed that the historical date of Trakai’s foundation will be considered as 8 September 1322. From now on, the city’s birthday will be officially celebrated – the most important cultural events of the year will take place, the variety of which will please both locals and guests of the city.
It is no coincidence that many events will be held in Trakai to commemorate the Year of the Lithuanian Karaites. The Lithuanian Karaite community is highly respected in Trakai. Karaites from the Crimea were brought to Lithuania by Grand Prince Vytautas, the ruler of Lithuania, and housed in the city outside his castle. The descendants of the Karaites still live here, and Trakai is considered the capital of this nation, which has preserved its language, traditions and customs for centuries. Karaites were famous as good diplomats, soldiers and gardeners.
A small but active Karaite community will offer many events and various projects. Lithuanian Karaites are also proud of their national music, which Lithuanians still do not fully know. There is no doubt: the Year of Lithuanian Karaites is a great opportunity to present this community to all of Lithuania and the world. More about the community at www.karaim.eu
The Trakai District Municipality not only supports these plans, but is also making important changes itself. One of the plans is to install an information stand in Trakai, at the beginning of Karaite Street, which will introduce visitors to the history of the arrival of the Karaites in Lithuania and their life today. Next to the Trakai Art School, it is planned to install stands where not only works and reproductions by children of the Art School, local, but also famous foreign artists will be exhibited. The main street of Trakai is increasingly lined with cars – a sensitive issue for both residents and tourists. Therefore, this year the traffic concept will be better adapted to pedestrians, the community and businesses.
Another project that Trakai District Municipality is proud of and will start in 2022 is the Trakai District Residents’ Map (Trakietis Map). Its main purpose is to promote the choice of public transport. The card is intended for residents whose place of residence is in Trakai District.
The first anniversary events will start at the beginning of May and the main city anniversary celebration will take place in September.
Another new project is the return of the former stadium in the city centre to the residents. Incidentally, the ideas for creating a city park here are proposed by students from Anhalter Gymnasium, who came from Germany a few years ago, as part of the cultural and tourist exchange between twin towns. There will be a return to this and the new ideas, which will be implemented by a creative workshop.
Good news awaits visitors in other areas as well. Lake Galvė has long become a tourist attraction, but the idea of connecting it with the one other Lake Totoriškiai is under consideration. Talking to the boat people, the construction workers, it is planned that there could be a gondola that, when cars park at the entrances to the city, can comfortably reach Trakai Castle. Another attraction is planned in the middle of the lake – an impressive fountain. This makes it clear that Trakai’s birthday will indeed be marked not by one but by several projects and their implementation.