Page 259 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Estonia Latvia & Lithuania

CENTR AL LITHU ANIA  257

Lake Galvė
Serving as a moat VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
around the castle, the
lake has 21 tiny islands. Practical Information
Rowing and paddle Road Map D5. n Vytauto
boats can be hired gatvė 69. Tel (528) 51 934.
along the quayside for Žalgiris Yacht Club: Žemaitės
a spectacular view of gatvė 3. Tel (528) 52 824.
the castle. History Museum: Tel (528) 53 946.
Open Mar, Apr & Oct: 10am–6pm
Tue–Sun; May–Sep: 10am–7pm
daily; Nov–Feb: 10am–5pm Tue–
Sun. & ∑ rakai-visit.lt
Transport
@ from Vilnius. £ from Vilnius.

. History Museum
The museum showcases a wide array
of weaponry as well as items found
during excavations, including
16th-century tankards, tiles and coins.

The Karaim of Trakai
The Karaim, a community of Turkic settlers practising
a particular kind of Judaism, lend a distinctly exotic
flavour to Trakai. Their ancestors were taken prisoner
by Vytautas the Great during his military venture to
the Crimea in 1397, and subsequently served as royal
guards. The Karaim have maintained their customs
and traditions. Their characteristic wooden houses,
each typically with gable ends and three windows
facing the street, the Karaim synagogue or Kenesa
and the Karaim Museum, are all on Karaimų Street. Graves in the Karaim Cemetery, partially
The Karaim cemetery is by Lake Totoriskiai. hidden by long grass

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