the best young rovers from across the globe will be competing in Galvė Lake in Trakai where Lithuania is hosting the U19 World Championships The Lithuanian Rowing Federation was informed last week by the International Rowing Federation that athletes from Russia and Belarus were allowed to participate in the championship under a neutral flag Given Lithuania’s firm support of Ukraine and sentiment against everything to do with Russia and its ally Belarus “It was unexpected for us because a year ago Russia and Belarus were not allowed to participate in the World Junior and Youth Championships under a neutral flag,” says Mindaugas Griškonis “The position of the Lithuanian Rowing Federation is strict and firm that Russia and Belarus should not be allowed to participate in Lithuania.” Griškonis says he raised the issue with the president of the International Rowing Federation last weekend in Switzerland “We described to him the whole situation in our country We came with a letter written by the Ministry of Education Science and Sport and argued that our country does not want to admit Russian and Belarusian athletes,” he says Lithuania has national sanctions in place and has suspended visa issuance to Russian and Belarusian citizens “Russian and Belarusian athletes will definitely not get visas from the Lithuanian state that issue visas for Russian and Belarusian athletes They can come to our country with a Schengen visa,” notes Griškonis He says he even approached the Russian federation officials in Switzerland “The representatives of the Russian Federation were at the congress and I personally went and asked them not to come to Lithuania and not to take part in the world championships,” he says the decision is ultimately with the international federation “If the international federation decides to accept them we cannot do otherwise because the international federation makes the decisions I do not even know how to deal with this situation,” says the president of the Lithuanian Rowing Federation is in a similar situation and is also refusing to admit Russians and Belarusians it is already clear that they will take part in the adult championships which will be held in Shanghai Griškonis expects a decision from the international federation this week The U19 World Championships will take place in Trakai between 6–10 August The Karaim arrived in medieval Lithuania as warriors tasked with guarding Trakai; six centuries later you can still find their influence throughout the city… At the official declaration of the 2022 ‘Year of the Karaim’ in Lithuania prime minister Ingrida Šimonyte described the Karaim people as a “unique treasure” though official figures show there are only 196 living in the country today despite being one of the smallest minorities in Europe Karaim culture is still a big part of Trakai the former Lithuanian capital (about 30km south-west of Vilnius) ruler of what was then the Grand Duchy of Lithuania invited several hundred Karaim families from Crimea to Trakai to serve as its defenders and warriors and the Karaim were duly given the land between Trakai’s two castles as reward It is still called Karaim street to this day and strolling here reveals wooden houses painted in yellow remains the most dramatic sight in town even now; however Trakai eventually lost its need for an army Once the Karaim were no longer required to be warriors they became market gardeners and traders instead and were famed for growing cucumbers – and where would Lithuania be without its gherkins While many minorities suffer marginalisation or persecution “The community has always had a very good name,“ said Karina Firkavičiūtė “We are happy to see the highest representatives of our country come and celebrate our anniversary and congratulate us so that our good relationship can carry on.” square building with coloured windows and a pointed roof It’s clearly neither a church nor a mosque Despite the Karaim following an Old Testament religion that draws on the Hebrew Bible They even managed to convince the Nazis of this so survived the tragic devastation of Lithuania’s large Jewish community during the Second World War While there are less than 200 Karaim in Lithuania there are a similar number in Poland and a wider diaspora around the world – in Ukraine Yet their estimated global population is 3,000 at most and the Turkic Karaim language is on UNESCO’s endangered list – by the early 2000s Trakai Castle looks like something out of a fairy tale with its orange brick walls and pointed tiled towers It was this that the Karaim were originally invited here to defend Today it is reached via two wooden bridges and contains the Trakai History Museum At the top of the castle is a room with displays about the Karaim and the Tatars who were also invited to settle here by Vytautas You can rent boats on the lake and take trips that encircle the island stretching from the centre towards the Island Castle Most of the current wooden houses date from the 19th century as once the Karaim switched from being warriors to market gardeners and traders they planted vegetable plots running down towards the lake These have now mostly disappeared under cafés and restaurants but many of the residents in the street are still Karaim With its overgrown gravestones and Hebrew lettering the Karaim cemetery in Trakai is very atmospheric and looks rather like the old Jewish cemeteries of Poland and Lithuania It is located off Zalioji Street on the mainland and is divided into two parts: the older northern section which was in use from the 14th century until 1710 Inscriptions in the latter start to appear in Russian and Polish rather than Karaim This museum was set up in 1967 on Karaim Street but unfortunately it’s been closed since July 2021 for restoration There’s no scheduled date yet for reopening but it has Lithuania’s richest collection of weapons documents and photographs charting Karaim history Karaim specialities are widespread in Lithuania. There are many places in Trakai to taste them, but only two are run by Karaim families: Kybynlar and Kiubete which are both named after famous Karaim dishes The moon-shaped kybyn pasties are filled with meat while the larger circular kiubete pies are said to be shaped like either the sun or a shield sweet liqueur spiced with cloves and muscat nuts Sign up to our newsletter for free with the Wanderlust Club After signing a contract with the company Daistatus last year, the Turto bankas project, located in in Trakai is scheduled to be completed in the first half of 2026 The contractor is tasked not only with successfully completing the project but also with eliminating the defects caused by the previous contractor which is currently the subject of legal proceedings a contract worth almost 7,4 million euros was signed with the company "Daistatus" which offered the lowest price in the public procurement 5 companies participated in the public procurement and the company that offered the lowest price was declared the winner Since circumstances may still arise during the implementation of the project that the contracting authority could not foresee the maximum approved value of the project is higher the total value of contracts concluded for the implementation of the project reaches 9,3 million euros Turto Bankas signed an agreement on the renovation of state real estate with the Department of Property Management and Economy under the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania and the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania It was agreed to renovate the facility located in Trakai meeting the client's expectations and creating a modern rehabilitation center for officers a contract worth almost 5,9 million euros was concluded with Vilungės statyba which offered the lowest price during the public procurement after assessing significant deviations from the project the contract with this contractor was unilaterally terminated In accordance with the Law on Public Procurement of the Republic of Lithuania Turto bankas has included the company "Vilungės statyba" in the "list of unreliable suppliers" The former project contractor appealed Turto bankas' decisions which is currently the subject of a legal process that has no real impact on the outcome of the project the project will continue according to plan and the planned completion date remains unchanged In order to compensate the state for the losses incurred Turto Bankas also applied to the insurance company of the former contractor which issued the contract performance guarantee document for the payment of the insurance benefit specified in the contract the specified amount of the benefit constitutes 10 percent It is expected that the insurance company will make a decision on the payment of the benefit after the court announces its verdict in the civil case the court's decision could be announced in the first weeks of May reproduction and distribution are permitted only with the written consent of UAB "Naujosios medijos grupė" ShareSaveLifestyleTravelExploring Lithuania’s Trakai Island CastleByGeoffrey Morrison Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights Geoffrey Morrison is a travel writer and digital nomad.Follow AuthorNov 26 11:30am ESTShareSaveThis article is more than 5 years old.On an island near the village of Trakai is a castle appropriately named Trakai Island Castle The red brick walls rise up from the green grass and trees and if you catch the weather right and is one of Lithuania’s most visited attractions two small bridges connect the castle’s island to the mainland Here’s how it all looks up close and inside keep in mind the bus station is on the other side of town which bows out westward a bit compared to the direct path but it follows the water more and offers a better view The area on the mainland across from the castle has numerous restaurants and gift/trinket shops Overall the area has the feel of a resort town During my visit the weather was great and lots of people were out enjoying the lake You can rent boats to take you around and the see the castle from all sides Once you enter the castle gates you can get a look at the courtyard but to go farther you need to buy a ticket Most of the castle was reconstructed over several decades since the original castle dates back to the 1300s but lost its usefulness the following century though in paintings and photos from the era it’s still recognizable as you enter that’s part of the outer wall Across the courtyard is the inner palace and keep smaller courtyard that is well shaded from the afternoon sun with the various rooms offering more about the castle and life throughout the ages The arched ceilings of the chapel are especially lovely Just a short walk from the island castle you can find Medininkai castle During the summer the island castle is open every day, for the rest of the year it’s closed Mondays. For more info, check out their website 2016) - The Chicago Fire announced Wednesday that the club has acquired striker David Arshakyan from Lithuanian A Lyga side FK Trakai The Armenian international signed a two-year deal with club options for the third and fourth years and will be added to the Fire roster upon receipt of his ITC and P1 Visa we were impressed by his winning attitude and ability to score goals in a variety of different ways,” said Fire general manager Nelson Rodriguez David also expressed a keen desire to join our club in particular and to help us build a championship program.” Arshakyan began his professional career with Armenian side FC Mika in 2012 and made three Premier League appearances as his side captured the 2012-13 Armenian Super Cup The 21-year-old made the move to FK Trakai of the Lithuanian A Lyga prior to the start of the 2015 season Arshakyan scored 25 goals and had six multi-goal games finishing the season just three goals shy the top scorer Arshakyan has scored nine goals in 18 appearances including a hat trick in a 4-3 win over Utenis Utena on July 28 Arshakyan additionally appeared in six UEFA Europa League qualifiers for Trakai scoring five total goals including a brace against Havnar Boltfelag on July 9 Arshakyan made his international debut for Armenia on March 29 earning the start against Denmark in the UEFA U21 Championship qualifying match Name: David ArshakyanPosition: ForwardHeight: 6’4”Weight: 190 Born: Aug RussiaCitizenship: ArmeniaLast Club: FK Trakai (LTU)Acquired: Signed on Aug where the four strongest teams of the season entered the final battles The small and large finals of the Final Four became the culmination of a long and intense season where each team sought to prove its worth and end the season victoriously determination and performances of true leaders on the field Gargždai's dominance in the final capped an impressive season In the grand final of the Nostra.lt – RKL B division two teams that had already been promoted to A division – Gargždai Gargždai-SC and Širvintos-UHB Group – met special goal – the Champions Cup and the crowning of the season 24:15) clearly reflected the advantage of the Gargždai team The first half still promised a tough fight – after ten minutes and the outcome of the match was practically determined before the long break.The Gargždai team demonstrated that the entire season was no fluke – they remained undefeated in a single playoff game and suffered only two defeats throughout the season Gargždai had a lead of as much as 33 points at one point completely dominating the Širvintos team in both offense and defense.Širvintos were not successful in shooting from the three-point zone - they only made 3 three-pointers out of 24 attempts (12%) while Gargždai maintained a higher shooting percentage and won the battle for rebounds (49 vs The most outstanding player of the final was Tadas Augustauskas grabbed 9 rebounds and collected 25 efficiency points.Final Four MVP Arvydas Toliušis also contributed scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds This triumph finally confirmed Gargždai's title as the strongest team of the season Gargždai Gargždai-SC's most prominent players:– Tadas Augustauskas – 22 points 25 efficiency points– Arvydas Toliušis – 11 points Širvintos-UHB Group's most prominent players:– Titas Pundinas – 11 points– Gytis Auruškevičius – 12 points Vilnius district basketball club won bronze medals in its debut season BC Radviliškis and Vilnius District Basketball Club met in the Nostra.lt RKL B Division Minor Final but the league's debutants managed to write a beautiful story - they won bronze medals in their first season The match was fierce and changeable. After the first half Vilnius region had a 5-point lead BC Radviliškis had built up a solid 12-point lead and it seemed that the bronze medal was already in their hands Vilnius District Basketball Club showed character and managed to recover through team play The team was not driven forward by individual players but by the entire squad – every basketball player who appeared on the court contributed to the comeback after which Vilnius District Basketball Club took the lead the initiative did not change again – Vilnius District Team closed the game victoriously This victory allowed the league's newcomers to win bronze medals in their debut season The most prominent players of Vilnius District Basketball Club:– Tadas Poska – 22 points– Gytis Valickas – 14 points– Dovydas Sakalnikas – 11 points BC Radviliškis most prominent players:– Lukas Pipiras – 16 points– Aivaras Kvedaravicius – 15 points– Daivaras Pakarklis – 13 points BNN offers you a selection of cultural and sports events in Lithuania for the week from November 17 to November 23 International Accordion Festival; various Vilnius venues; Accordion music in Lithuania originated from folk music Having been in action for over two decades the International Accordion Festival has sold-out halls and proved the true worth of the accordion – especially its versatility and attractiveness Today the accordion repertoire is said to be fascinating its audience with a variety of genres and its performers’ outstanding virtuosity and concert geography The accordion appears in concert halls performing transcriptions of baroque and classical masterpieces This year the International Accordion Festival in Vilnius will host accordionists from Germany Euro exhibition; the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania Euro Exhibition organized in the National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania invites both adults and children to learn more about Lithuania’s new currency – the euro Visitors of the exhibition will gain more knowledge about the history of the euro and destruction of worn-out money and learn to distinguish a real banknote from a fake one Evening of French Music; Vilnius Congress Hall; The soloist of this evening Sergey Malov is a performer said to have no boundaries Sergey is a viola graduate of the famous Universität Mozarteum in Salzburg and a violin graduate of High Music School of Hanns Eisler in Berlin Sergey is a winner of many international violinist and violist competitions The young artist also plays another one stringed instrument – cello da spalla During the studies this universal artist became a dedicated chamber musician He has been invited to play concertos on both violin and viola with the most prominent orchestras of many European and Asian countries Conductor and composer Fabrice Gregorutti will represent the French music opuses of different periods and styles In 2011 he founded the Olivier Messiaen Chamber Choir of La Trinité The contemporary music takes an important place in his repertoire Wissmer‘s oratorio Le Quatrième Mage for choir and orchestra with chamber choir of O a recipient of the Lithuanian National Prize has been active for more than forty-five years Constantly looking for fresh ideas the Quartet often teams-up with young performers This time the Quartet appears with talented young performers Antanas Taločka (clarinet) and Laurynas Lapė (trumpet) Antanas Taločka is the principal clarinet of the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra He enjoys playing both solo and chamber repertoire takes part in festivals in Lithuania and abroad The clarinettist is a winner of international competitions in Lithuania He has collaborated with renowned Lithuanian and international performers Upon graduating from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre Laurynas Lapė earned the Master Degree from the Academy of Music in Malmo (Sweden) was a member of the Malmo Opera Theatre Orchestra as well as Helsingborg and Malmo symphony orchestras he is a member of the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra as well as Vilnius Brass quintet Protoberus Brass and Gaida contemporary music ensemble Not long ago he played in InCulto with which he appeared in Eurovision contest Next to Schumann’s Quartet the musicians present Gumboot Dancing for clarinet and string quartet by D This composition tells about a hundred-year tradition which was started by the toiling miners in Johannesburg allowing stomping various rhythms which served as an instrument for communication the dances in which the dancers stomp gumboots and create various rhythms Gumboot Dancing is based on similar rhythms The programme will offer some more 20th century compositions The Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra and young conductor Modestas Barkauskas invite to relish dance music We have heard the themes of these little masterpieces many times and know them by heart The concert programme presents widely divergent works: Montagues and Capulets from Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet the cheerful American dance Hoe-down from Copland’s ballet Rodeo excerpts from Grieg’s Norwegian Dances and Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances Ravel’s lucidly doleful Pavane pour une infante défunte (Pavane for a Dead Princess) Saint-Saëns’ zestful Bacchanale from the opera Samson et Delilah (Samson and Delilah) and that is not everything… “The military and Aras demining squad have been informed,” Loreta Kairienė a spokeswoman for the Vilnius County Police The officers who examined the find later said it was the head of the vibratory plate The operation was terminated at around half past noon The police were informed at 09:55 on Friday morning that an explosive-like object had been found in the castle that is a popular tourist attraction Archaeological excavations were carried out at the site of the suspected find While the exact timing of the founding of Trakai is unknown it was decided last year to consider September 8 a historian at the Lithuanian Historical Institute head of the Department of Theory of History and Cultural History at the Faculty of History of Vilnius University the date of the foundation of Trakai should be linked to the symbolic date of the foundation of Vilnius in 1323 The 16-century Bychowiec Chronicle describes how the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas moved his capital from Kernavė to Trakai and from Trakai to Vilnius this dating is consistent with archaeological and historical findings the castle of Old Trakai was built in a landscape previously untouched by human activity Lithuanian chronicles describe the same prehistory of the foundation of Trakai Trakai will host theatre and music performances the events will bring together different parts of Trakai and will be aimed at people of all ages and needs A performance of Legends of Trakai will be staged in the inner courtyard of Trakai Island Castle and a fair will take place in the part of the town between the castle and the observation deck A free concert is planned in the castle courtyard The historic capital of Lithuania is also hosting the international arts festival Transmissions organised by the Trakai House of Culture and its partners Events to mark the town’s anniversary will run until Sunday which planned to connect the Karvinė and Bažnytėlė islands in Lake Galvė with a pedestrian bridge six years ago and were unable to do so due to lack of funds Karvinė Island connects both bridges to Trakai Castle and Bažnytėlė Island is located southeast of it.  The municipality has announced a market consultation and intends to announce a contractor tender the winner of which should build a wooden bridge connecting the islands and install trails in 2026–2027 for 1,2 million euros.  "This idea has been around for many years and has been discussed repeatedly during various meetings with residents (…) The project aims to modernize and create public tourism infrastructure by adapting natural and cultural objects for visiting we want to offer residents and city guests the opportunity to get acquainted with and visit as many cultural objects as possible one of which is Bažnytėlė Island in Lake Galvė," the municipality said in a comment to BNS after signing an agreement in 2019 for financing from European Union funds and preparing a bridge project problems arose in 2020 and the project stalled.  "The bids received for the work significantly exceeded the amount of funds allocated for procurement or no bids were received it was not possible to purchase the work and implement part of the project," the municipality said.  seven municipalities in the Vilnius region agreed on a regional functional zone strategy for 2024–2029 which will help Trakai implement the project decided to jointly plan investments and cooperate in resources 1,2 million euros have been allocated for the construction of a pedestrian bridge on Lake Galvė the previously prepared architectural design is still appropriate The then head of the Trakai Historical National Park department told LRT in 2019 that during underwater archaeological research bridge piles were found and it was determined that the bridge between Karvinė and Bažnytėlė islands was four meters wide Vytautas the Great had built a small Greek rite church on Bažnytėlė Island for his second Orthodox wife Trakai-visit.lt reports that Sigismund the Elder gave this island with a cherry orchard to Ivan Sapieha was given to the Trakai Archimandrite in 1666 George's Church are included in the Register of Cultural Properties Two pedestrian bridges connect it with Karvinė Island and the city of Trakai.  Trakai presents this season's news: from June 1 Trakai Eko City Tour is one of the fastest and most convenient ways to get to know the historical old town of Trakai 13 adults can travel comfortably at the same time We will show you the most beautiful places and our friendly drivers will advise you on what else to do in the city you will be able to listen to an audio guide while traveling which will tell the history of the city of Trakai in detail Trakai Eco City Tour Electric car parking place:** Karaimů str. 53 A ** Buses the station (Vilniaus mažoji st 2A) . You can log in at any point along the route.  The ticket for the trip is valid for all days the price of which is EUR 7. For children up to 10 years old For groups:Up to 13 people can ride a compact electric bus at the same time. We have several electric cars so we can serve larger groups of visitors.If needed The underground rapid transit lines have been under construction for almost two decades due to various project delays The cross pinnacle on the Tower of Jesus Christ will be ready to receive visitors in 2026 on the centennial of Gaudi’s death Now you can get your wine in Talence by paying directly in Bitcoin That’s because the state has to spend money on updating the railway infrastructure rather than subsidizing the cost of the popular pass Steffen Romstöck said that he would respect the residents’ choice and would take over the helm of the municipality which will come into force from 1 January 2025 Rethinking renewable energy sources for the urban landscape But operating them is still illegal under the country’s legislation can inform and inspire communities and entrepreneurs that still feel trepidation at the prospect of energy transition it has a unique modular design that allows it to be shortened and lengthened like a train that’s the promise made by the mayor of Paris the district has long been known as the hangout spot for the artsy crowds Hostal de Pinós is located in the geographical centre of the autonomous region the ranking considers several distinct but essential factors these quiet areas will now be available on all main routes in the country The academic institution shows a deeper understanding of the well-being of its students Trakai chocolate museum is planned to expand and become one of the three largest chocolate museums in the world the chocolate museum has the ambition to expand and become one of the three largest chocolate museums in the world in the future The museum has 4 rooms with chocolate exhibits and each one is different There are over 100 sculptures at the moment and most of them are life-size The exhibitions will be renewed every few years and new chocolate characters will appear The museum is founded by Algimantas Jablonskas he has been having his factory and small chocolate store in one of the most beautiful places in the city After visiting the impressive chocolate museum in Barcelona he decides that Lithuania can also hold a sweet exhibition And that’s how Lithuania gets its first chocolate museum.  The 10th European Conference on Sustainable Cities and Towns (ESCT) sets the stage for stronger cooperation between the EU national and local level to fast track Europe's transition to climate neutrality Urban dwellers across the EU are having a say in making their surroundings friendlier to people and the environment Forests in the EU can help green the European construction industry and bolster a continent-wide push for architectural improvements Apply by 10 November and do your part for the transformation of European public spaces An interview with the Mayor of a Polish city that seeks to reinvent itself An interview with the newly elected ICLEI President and Mayor of Malmö A conversation with the Mayor of Lisbon about the spirit and dimensions of innovation present in the Portuguese capital It is believed that the Karaims came to Lithuania in around 1397 when Grand Duke Vytautas of Lithuania brought several hundred families from the Crimea after a foray into the steppes of the Golden Horde Vytautas recruited the Karaims as loyal guards and brave soldiers and settled them all in Trakai The street leading to Vytautas’ island castle is still called Karaim Street The Karaims brought their own language and That is partly because the Karaims have always been a close-knit although one that did not ignore their Lithuanian environment and were known to get along with the locals exceptionally well unusual-looking people who spoke their own language among themselves and especially the fact that their strain has not committed any crime here encourages everyone to get closer to them,” is how he described his impressions from the early 19th century in Trakai Scholars of endangered languages know that the starting point for study is finding the oldest people who still speak it translator and former adviser to Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus Almost all the houses on this Karaim Street were inhabited by Karaim families and all spoke the Karaim language she was surrounded by a very wide circle of Karaim relatives during her childhood: 17 cousins all of whom spoke Karaim and lived in Trakai lives in a beautiful wooden house on Karaim Street in Trakai I had the privilege of having both my parents speak Karaim to me since I was born,” says Firkavičiūtė she picked up the language almost with no effort Everyone else who wanted to learn Karaim had to study it While the generation of her parents used the language widely much fewer did in her own generation and hardly anyone younger than herself and I am an only child and have no children of my own the numbers and generations change,” says Firkavičiūtė The Karaim language belongs to the Kipchak group of the Turkic family it may have originated in the 9th-10th centuries Since the Karaims lived in territories that were quite far apart (Ukraine there is no one standard version of the language The Trakai dialect has been preserved in Lithuania until today quite special because it has preserved very old words from the Turkic languages This makes the Karaim language of great interest to scholars of Turkic languages “That is why it is very important for us to preserve the language then at least written down,” says Kobeckaitė “The most precious legacy left to us by our ancestors is our mother tongue,” are the words of the preface to the Lithuanian-Karaim Dictionary published last year did not live long enough to see it hit the shelves but the dictionary was published by her granddaughter Severina Špakovska but she was also free to teach it to others My grandmother taught Karaim to my sister and me as well as to other children in the community,” says Severina Severina’s grandmother Ana wanted to publish textbook for young people who could not read Russian “She would sometimes mention her idea and at one point just started translating other dictionaries There were two: Russian-Karaim and Russian-Polish-Karaim when she had time and her health was still good I am very happy that she managed to finish the dictionary,” recalls Špakovska also translated Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s philosophical fable The Little Prince into Karaim She was offered to do it by a German publishing house specialising in lesser-known languages Halina collected translations of The Little Prince in Lithuanian she translated the story into Karaim and gave the manuscript to her daughter to check it against the French original Lithuanian was the language spoken in her home She also started learning Karaim from an early age “I like the idea that I am 100-percent Karaim and 100 percent Lithuanian Sometimes I feel sad and sorry that the Karaim language is disappearing but at the same time it seems to me that this is a very natural process There are not many members of the Karaim community left but I do not think that we need to fight against extinction Even if there are more people who speak Karaim fluently now but I don’t think this language will ever be alive again,” says Špakovska It would be worthwhile to preserve the Karaim language for tradition a 22-year-old psychology graduate and now works in advertising is now probably the youngest Karaim speaker Karaim is a nostalgic language because I associate it with childhood My grandparents spent quite a lot of time communicating with me in Karaim so that I could learn it,” he says “I remember when I started going to school and started speaking more and more Lithuanian I naturally started forgetting some Karaim words My grandfather would then sit me down and remind how to say this and that in Karaim And I used to love listening to bedtime stories and kept asking my dad for them He would tell stories he had made up in Karaim about a family that had a monkey and the monkey was always getting into all sorts of adventures,” says Lavrinovič He picked up Karaim very organically from his relatives He grew up surrounded not only by Karaim and Lithuanian Since Aidar was always known in the Karaim community as the youngest fluent speaker he would always have to speak when reporters came to do a story about the Karaims There has been growing efforts to preserve the Karaim language in recent years Karaims from around the world have been coming to Trakai each summer for camps Firkavičiūtė says that the meetings always revolve around the Karaim language Even those who do not speak it or use it on a daily basis take away at least some new knowledge and have the opportunity to hear it spoken Špakovska started attending the camps at the age of six She remembers that the best Karaim speakers in the community would take turns to teach her we used to study the same thing almost every summer and when we meet again the following summer we realise that we need to go over it again,” says Severina It is estimated that around 30 people can speak fluent Karaim today and almost all of them live in Lithuania The figures were collected by Karaims in Poland who set out to record the language and its sound they tracked down every surviving Karaim speaker What are the future prospects for the language 625 years after its speakers came to Lithuania that would be extremely good,” says Firkavičiūtė “When I read Karaim periodicals from the yearly 20th century I find exactly the same concerns: the language and I hope that this curve of decline has the potential to turn upwards.” Her mother Kobeckaitė looks to the past for guidance about the future “I have lived through all the phases: when there were many speakers who many years ago said that this was a dying candle So here I am very pleased to say that the candle has not yet gone out The candle is not so bright to illuminate entire worlds Lavrinovič takes the preservation of the Karaim language seriously “It will be a defeat and a loss for the people But there aren’t that many people who feel they need to know the language no one takes responsibility,” Aidar reflects He recalls meeting the last woman who still spoke the Halych dialect of Karaim “Her language was different – different stresses I cannot point my finger and say – it’s because she didn’t teach anyone The fire started at around 20:40 on Sunday the Fire and Rescue Department’s spokeswoman told LRT.lt Sixteen firefighters with 5 fire engines from Trakai and Vilnius worked at the scene “The yacht club building was very badly damaged by the fire Around 20 boats and boat parts that were in the building were destroyed,” Zdanevičienė said The Fire and Rescue Department has started an investigation into the possible causes of the fire arson is also being considered as a potential cause of the fire Despite a battling performance this evening in Vilnius who scored through a late strike from Russian striker Maksimov Maksim means the Lithuanians progress to the next round of the competition with a 3-1 aggregate victory Saints were on top for the majority of the game but couldn't find a way past a stubborn home defence Johnstone to a handful of clearcut chances Tommy Wright made five changes to the side that started last week’s 2-1 home loss to the Lithuanians as Murray Davidson and Chris Millar came into central midfield while Chris Kane and Stefan Scougall were given the striking roles New signing Scott Tanser came in for the injured Brian Easton to make his competitive debut at left-back getting in the faces of their opponents and not giving them time to stroke the ball around the park like they had done at McDiarmid Park Blair Alston on the right side of midfield was able to get at the opponents in the early stages of the match but a stuffy Lithuanian backline prevented Saints from creating much space in the area restricting Tommy Wright’s side to shooting from outside the area while balls played into the box were headed away But it was Trakai who created the first clear cut chance as the Liberian international Oscar Dorley passed the halfway line and played a forward pass to striker Maksim Maksimov Joe Shaughnessy managed to get between the Russian and the ball to shield it back to Zander Clark but Maksimov managed to get in and get a touch to the ball before falling to the ground claiming for a penalty but the referee waived play on Moments later and the hosts snuck in again This time Chris Millar headed the ball back into the area after pressure from Dorley and it fell to Valdemar Borovskji who raced away from Tanser and tried to lob Zander Clark by flicking it into the left corner of the net To Saints’ relief it bounced just in front of the open goal and was cleared away by Richard Foster at the back post Blair Alston then won a free kick on the right-wing which Liam Craig crossed in for Shaughnessy at the back post but the former Aberdeen defender’s header was finger-tipped over the bar by Ignas Plukas The resultant corner from Alston saw Shaughnessy come close again beating his man at the backpost but Plukas managed to keep out the effort Gilchrist hoofed the ball forward for Kane who managed to reach the ball before the defenders but his flick was saved comfortably by the Trakai goalkeeper Aleksandr Bychenok’s cross-field pass found Dorley on the left wing and the 18 year old controlled the ball with one touch before getting a shot away just as Alston was about to reach him Clark got down well to save and hold onto the ball as the Trakai attackers ran in Joe Shaughnessy came close again for Saints when Alston’s beautifully weighted cross from just outside the box found the head of the Irishman but his effort when just past the post Maksimov had the ball on the right-wing and managed to cut the ball inside and fire a left-footed curling shot at goal – which went just over the bar The Lithuanians were then reduced to ten men on 57 minutes as Arunas Klimavicius received a red card for a second bookable offence Minutes later and a Liam Craig corner got the home defence in a panic as the goalkeeper’s attempted clearance found Stefan Scougall on the edge of the box The ball hit off a number of players from both sides before former Nigerian youth international Alma Wakili managed to clear with a bicycle kick Both sides came close as the game began to fizzle out – the impressive Maksimov hit the side-netting while Saints substitute Graham Cummins saw his header from David Wotherspoon cross held well by Plukas Then on 88 minutes Trakai struck with a killer blow Right-back Mychailo Shyshka picked the ball up and just as he approached the halfway life managed to spot Maksimov unmarked and advancing towards goal who with his first touch fired well past Clark as Shaughnessy and Gilchrist tried to recover ground The 21-year-old revelled in the acclaim from the home crowd as ‘The Warriors’ sealed their place in the next round This was a game Saints bossed for the majority of the match but a lack of compsure in the final third meant the game frustratingly slipped away from the Perth side Our newsletterStay up to date with all things SaintsSign up to receive our newsletter to get our latest news and offers “The third floor [of the castle’s western side] is unused because it is not suitable for visitors – there are no proper communications all of which will be resolved during the renovation,” said Alvyga Zmejevskienė The museum will install permanent and temporary exhibitions The new exhibition will reopen the medieval latrines which are currently inaccessible to visitors and are located in the unused attics “Visitors are often interested in the sanitary-hygienic side of castles and there are latrines on that side that have not been exhibited until now,” said Zmejevskienė “We are going to arrange everything in such a way that people can come and see it hear the guides' stories about how the castle dwellers lived at that time: they not only ate and slept but also met other needs – people are interested in such things.” Other renovation works include adapting the walkways to visitors with reduced mobility located some 30 kilometres west of Vilnius is the historical capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Lithuanian social media filled with images reminiscent of Monet's paintings as visitors from the capital city and around it flocked to the field to see and take pictures of poppies in full bloom who has been “poppy chasing” with her family for over a decade says she has not seen anything so beautiful before “I don't know if the field is private property but it seems that the poppies were planted deliberately I hadn't heard before about them growing so abundantly here Even Trakai Municipality shared pictures of the field on its Facebook page that she always hunts for good shots responsibly “We always take pictures from the edge of the field don't go to the middle so as not to trample on the flowers and for fear of mites,” she says it seems that not all the visitors have been so careful Tatiana Vainovskaja, the owner of the field, posted a video on Monday pleading with poppy admirers to stop walking on her triticale crops and you are destroying them,” she said in the video shared on Facebook The romantic fa?ade of Trakai hides sinister inner workings The country's biggest corruption case of recent years has revealed an intricate network of dependencies between local authorities and the criminal world The criminal investigation of the actors who have turned Trakai into Lithuania's capital of corruption was handed over to court several years ago yet it will take much more to dismantle criminal structures built on money and black dealings “I myself was born and grew up around Trakai It is my first experience of a corruption case of this extent Considering how long these dealings lasted and how many people were involved,” Linas Kuprevičius Vilnius County prosecutor with the Organized Crime and Corruption Department “I could compare it to traffic police taking bribes from drivers Charges have been brought against the former authorities – the mayor the entire town of Trakai was run as if it were a private enterprise “Public contracts were handed out without any competition Only particular firms would be invited to the talks Municipal leaders would run the district as if it were their private business Businesspeople would often know the winning tender even before the competition was announced – and they wouldn't even bother to submit their own offers,” Kuprusevičius elaborates The prosecutor says that data collected in the case paints a very grim picture Fictitious public procurement competitions have become normal practice would only reproach the municipality for not giving them a heads up on who's turn it was to win the contract – and making them waste time on preparing proposals that did not stand any chance Prosecutors suspect that the whole enterprise was coordinated by the former administration of Trakai: Mayor Vytautas Petkevičius himself and chief of the administration Leonardas Karnila “Former administration” is perhaps not an entirely accurate designation Petkevičius and Karnila are still on the town council is deputy chief of the municipal heating company Raščiauskas was advisor to the new Trakai mayor “Political orientation looses all significance in Trakai I can conclude that they act not like politicians but like businessmen Town administration chiefs would simply come together and talk business The mayor would tell the chief of the administration: 'Please calculate for me how much that company still owes us for last year.' We found tables showing how many contracts were won by particular companies and what share of the money they had to give back We have a record of the defendants saying that one company was to win fewer contracts the following year because the man could not psychologically bear to pay growing sums,” prosecutor Kuprusevičius recounts The prosecutor says he understands that local businesspeople were bullied into accepting the rules of the game set by local politicians some of them will give up fears and come forward with testimony on the racketeering they were subjected to many of these businessmen have told me that the investigation has revealed a mere fraction of all they've seen The businessmen had their operations in only one district they were forced either to close down their businesses The links between politicians and members of the criminal underworld are also disconcerting Some businessmen confided in me that they had families and small children and feared for their safety But I do hope that there are people who will realize that by covering up politicians' crimes they are doing harm to themselves,” says Kuprusevičius When asked if it was at all possible to do honest business in Trakai the prosecutor relies: “I have no idea.” Case materials show that businesspeople were pressured not only by politicians A revealing episode was a case of repair works in the Trakai headquarters of the New Union When the contractor finished the work and did not receive the payment leader of the New Union at the time and now an MP and vice-chairman of the Labour Party the businessman was subjected to pressure from Stanislovas Narkevičius (nicknamed Narkuša) who was present at the contractor's meeting with Trakai authorities said that the businessman should better reduce the bill from 180 to 80 thousand litas he should be concerned about his own and his wife's health no one has revealed who was it that invited Narkevičius The businessman said he found the man already in the room when he turned up for the meeting By the time the case was handed over to court the version had changed – everyone agreed that the businessman himself invited Narkevičius Even though there is a record of the mayor commending the chief of the administration for inviting Narkuša – otherwise it wouldn't have worked,” according to the prosecutor The only one to speak up about the reign of crime in Trakai was a businessman from the Philippines who opened a restaurant in Lithuania Andis Hernandez turned to the police and the media after he and his wife were beaten up by Narkevičius – for refusing to extend working hours at his request Prosecutor Kuprevičius says that even after the case of large-scale corruption at Trakai Municipality became public I'd still receive calls from people complaining that nothing had changed That business in Trakai was going just like before.” The prosecutor is asking the court for maximum punishment punishments for corruption crimes have become stricter I remember how I was asked by a parliamentary panel why everyone's taking bribes of 30 thousand litas Because 32,625 litas is considered a big-value bribe This sum is the limit of qualifying an offence either as a serious crime or a half-serious crime the accused demanded bribes of hundreds of thousands These are serious felonies that are punishable with two to eight years in prison The court can be more lenient only if defendants confess and regret the crime It is not so in this case,” Kuprusevičius notes that making predictions about outcomes in corruption cases is a slippery exercise are represented by the best attorneys money can buy and are themselves eloquent in self-defence how it was possible that people like that can work in city councils I replied that if people with pending criminal charges could work in parliament He promises changes in the corruption-ridden town “We've got what we've got,” he tells 15min “I believe that law enforcement has dealt with the problem The fact that the accused work in the town council attests to gaps in our legislation The law should unequivocally ban people like that from occupying posts of authority We are planning to hold a meeting with all businesspeople of the district to discuss the matters I think that businesspeople and our municipal officials alike have already realized that things cannot go on the way they did before,” the mayor promises Zalieckas' predecessor Vincas Kapočius is less optimistic He has publicly complained that the reason why he was recently deposed from the mayor's post might have been his intention to revamp the rules of public lavatories rent The move might have irritated still influential former mayor Petkevičius whose mother is in the public lavatory business In the context of near-universal silence and fear Nijolė Dočkuvienė is somewhat of an exception vocally defends the community's interests in Trakai Municipality and readily talks to the media “I've been living in Trakai for decades and I know everyone in the town council very well On numerous occasions have I tried to appeal to their consciousness asking to remove corrupt politicians and officials who were working for their own groups instead of for everyone's benefit.” Dočkuvienė says that elderly citizens of Trakai have easier time expressing their discontent than younger people who have to do business with the authorities Businessmen are scared even to approach me even though I know many of them personally A system has been put in place – if you support those in power The authorities cooperate with the criminal world I've seen many times Narkuša dining with Karnila There are times when I'm scared to walk down the street,” the community leader shares Dočkuvienė believes that local officials would not be so impudent if they did not enjoy protection from Vilnius Influential people have their country houses here Just look how daring they were all these years they are still scheming to appropriate a boarding school Perhaps they're running out of money to pay their lawyers,” Dočkuvienė reflects Historical data suggest that Trakai was made the seat of the Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1321 but Grand Duke Gediminas moved the capital to Vilnius a year later but the town is visited by almost one million tourists each year As many as 2 thousand farmers have registered their farms in Trakai District but there are actually only about 300 households working in agriculture The rest just need farmer's licence in order to be allowed to build villas in the picturesque environs of Trakai Great many affluent and well known society people of Lithuania are among the “farmers” of Trakai As the town is less than thirty kilometres west of Vilnius Trakai heating infrastructure has been leased to Prienų Energija Local politicians as well as the community admit that the heating business is run inefficiently Situated within the district limits are Trakai Historical National Park compiled by the Lithuanian Free Market Institute Trakai was ranked number six municipality in the country The worst-rated area was investment and development was overwhelmed by an avalanche of attention filming and other things related to his big life journey The guy says he only has 4-5 hours of sleep left But he gladly found time for one meeting. Because he wanted it for a long time. Thus, one sunny morning, Aurim's car stopped at in Trakai of the Addere Care nursing home where the writer and sailor Algimantas Čekuolis currently lives it became clear that the former journalists are not there - Algimantas was happy to return to the occupation to which he devoted a large part of his life - I can say from experience that there are not many sailors who love the sea You can like to be naked on the beach or in the dunes But the open sea is a foreign element to man I had to experience what it means to be surrounded by 4 m high waves The waves knocked me out of the boat only once - Do you feel like you conquered the ocean I am glad that the ocean allowed me to cross it and fulfill my dream - How did you get the idea to cross the Atlantic by boat I'm not the first to think of doing that." Even my rowing boat that I was sailing with has already crossed the Atlantic three times before me in one way or another - Was everything on the trip as you expected - I started preparing for this trip back in 2021 at one point the electronic water softener was broken It is a device that uses pressure to desalinate ocean water - salt and everything dissolved in it which I had foreseen - I also had a mechanical water softener But I was ready for that too - I had spares - I caught myself that perhaps the hardest thing was when I lost sight of the shores of Spain as soon as I set sail on December 26 Where there are no shores or any signs to be seen when to straighten out - then everything is easier If someone thinks that taking a boat across the Atlantic is a trip of strength then I can assure you that it is primarily psychology I'm glad I managed to deal with my thoughts pretty well the most dangerous thing in the ocean is not the open water several kilometers deep I had a lot of trouble navigating past the Caribbean islands and then to the Bahamas There were days when due to strong and adverse winds I had to deploy the parachute anchor and wait I wanted to sit down and pick up the oars again as soon as possible it was a little sad that it was all about to end I have been preparing for this trip for two years and I was trying to fulfill my dream I had and still have a great hunger for travel and challenges - And what did you like the most in the ocean - Perhaps the most beautiful moments in the ocean were given to me by animals Whales passing by or even under the boat is a very majestic sight It was nice to feel the company of playful dolphins because it was boring for them to swim next to a boat moving at a speed of 2-3 knots - Have you met ships with the Lithuanian flag - A Lithuanian Ambersail yacht passed 3 nautical miles from me When I saw them on the radar a little later starting on the island of Cape Verde (Port - Were there people who wanted to "rescue" you The captain contacted me and asked if I was okay We shook hands with him and went our separate ways Six passengers of the recreational catamaran also offered help They contacted me and said we can see you are only moving at 2-3 knots They were a few days away from the Bahamas - The concepts of "good" and "bad" are changing in the sea The overloaded shelves of stores that we have in Lithuania were newly stunned I learned to live only with the most necessary things I think I have become a calmer person after this trip and a cold kiss on the cheek in Karaimų st The skating rink is open on weekdays from 12:21 to 10:21 weekends and holidays from 45:XNUMX to XNUMX:XNUMX The duration of one skating session is XNUMX minutes Free skating sessions are given to pupils of care institutions with prior registration and the participation of a teacher) and seniors They can use the rink and skates for free on weekdays from 12:15 to XNUMX:XNUMX kindergartens and other educational institutions are invited to reserve a time and after visiting the festively decorated Trakis with stars Travel blogger Ernestas Tyminas is originally from Lithuania After travelling around the world for the past two years and visiting 40 countries – including a stop in Malta – he finally made it back home he not only shows off main attractions such as Kaunas but a lot of other gems that you may have never heard of before We use cookies to ensure users are given the best experience on our website We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze how you use this website and provide the content and advertisements that are relevant to you These cookies will only be stored in your browser with your prior consent You can choose to enable or disable some or all of these cookies but disabling some of them may affect your browsing experience Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the various categories Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms The _cf_bm cookie is used by OneSignal to facilitate the delivery of web push notifications on this website Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors This cookie is installed by Marfeel Solutions Registers data on visitors' website-behaviour This is used for internal analysis and website optimization This cookie is installed by Facebook and identifies browsers for the purposes of providing advertising and site analytics services This cookie is installed by Google Analytics Registers a unique ID that is used to generate statistical data on how the visitor uses the website Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns The OAID cookie is set by our Adserver to deliver targeted ads on the  website It tracks user interactions with ads (e.g. impressions) to optimize ad delivery without collecting personally identifiable information This helps provide relevant ads based on browsing activity Other cookies are those that are being identified and have not been classified into any category as yet we notice that one or another part of the heritage object is submerged in "scaffolding" - this causes temporary inconvenience to visitors At the moment, a part of the Milan Cathedral sunk in the "scaffolding", the Neuschwanstein Castle (Schloss Neuschwanstein), the castle of the fairy-tale king of Bavaria, is being repaired. Acropolis In Greece Barcelona's Sagrada Familia Cathedral and many other world heritage sites management is complex and the main task of administrators and builders in an object that continues to operate is to ensure the safe access of visitors to the object From 2022 autumn management works are being carried out in the approaches to Trakai Island Castle and it has been several weeks since the works moved to the castle's inner territory more rooms that have not been used so far will be adapted for visiting the Island Castle and additional expositions will be installed It is also planned to carry out maintenance work on the castle yard and environment The scope of project works is ~ 4,5 million It is planned to complete all maintenance work on the island castle in 2027 the beauty of the Island Castle will be revealed in all its beauty - new spaces and expositions will be opened for visitors and more comfortable visiting conditions will be created The information was prepared by: Trakai Tourism Information Center because drinking boba is definitely not associated with the popular epithet about women the astonishing popularity of this drink does not fade Often the various variations of this drink can even surprise you but the bubble tea shop "Le Tea" decided to choose the traditional way and present Lithuanians with a classic bubble tea drink with a modern twist Probably, no one will be surprised by the statement that one of the main ingredients of this drink is tea. Bubble tea was created in Taiwan in the 1980s Teas with traditional tapioca pearls and milk appeared first Fruit teas and popping boba appeared a little later ("popping boba" is extremely popular in Europe) Pearl milk tea began to develop rapidly from 2000 bubble tea took its first steps in 2012 and This drink became more popular a little more than five years later Preparatory work for the opening of the "Le Tea" store on Trakai Street began at the beginning of 2019 but the world and Lithuania were frozen by the COVID-19 pandemic The founder of the store had to adjust the plans and the official opening of "Le Tea" took place in May 2020 we tried most of the bubble teas offered in Lithuania and the Baltic countries We realized that we want to open a store in Lithuania where Lithuanians and guests of the city could taste bubble tea with an authentic recipe and high-quality ingredients so we offer carefully made tea according to the most authentic Asian recipe." - the founder of the shop shares his impressions and their main goal is to make people feel happy when they drink their tea people often ask the question - do you have BUBBLE tea or bubble TEA "We always answer them: we have bubble TEA we want our customers to enjoy authentic and high-quality tea and feel that they are drinking REAL tea We use as few sweeteners as possible to avoid confusing the taste buds We don't want our customers to think they are drinking syrupy water with bubbles we use cane sugar instead of fructose to sweeten our drinks Cane sugar is a healthier and tastier alternative it does not "block" the taste receptors of the tongue This means you can experience the natural sweetness and flavor of the tea the price of tea is higher due to the quality ingredients but it is definitely worth investing more in the presentation and taste of a quality drink" - the founder of "Le Tea" has no doubts about his choice in order to find out if the bubble tea shop produces quality tea you just need to order a cup of pure tea with a little sugar and traditional tapioca pearls (also available without additives) you will find out whether the product in such a store is made with care and quality if the tea is made from poor quality leaves we can see the result with our own eyes - the liquid tea will look hazy "Our team prepares tapioca pearls and fresh tea every day The store's tapioca pearls are made with a consistent recipe and are pleasantly chewy and springy the liquid tea made from them has a very rich aroma the owner shares the peculiarities of tea making It is often said that this tea is a drink for children and teenagers in real life it's a bit different and the founder of Le Tea shatters this myth "It is a myth that only children and teenagers drink bubble tea Many adults and older people are pleasantly surprised when they taste our tea because they do not get such a quality experience in other bubble tea shops People do not expect that bubble tea can be so tasty We can assure you that this tea is loved by all age groups practically equally: children but the main visitors of our shop are from the age group of 20-35 years It's no wonder that the drink we make is so popular because we have another secret ingredient - love which is a special component of the whole tea-making process" - the owner of Le Tea shares his impressions and experience "Le Tea" offers the inhabitants of Vilnius and guests of the city a tea culture that has existed for thousands of years the team's many years of experience and knowledge of tea making allow us to offer the best products to our customers "We cooperate with many experienced partners from Taiwanese factories all our raw materials are produced in Taiwan Since we communicate with them in the same language cooperation is smoother and more efficient We pay particular attention to the quality of our products and the taste of our drinks We make fresh tea and accessories every day Visitors to the store will have a personalized experience - everyone can choose hot and cold drink options We constantly test and taste the drinks we make so that we notice problems in time and customers are not disappointed with the quality of the drinks We want and strive to offer only the best to our customers" the founder of the "Le Tea" shop does not hide his determination The shop is also very positively evaluated by customers who travel from country to country and evaluate where the bubble tea is best One customer always looks at the comments left by customers from Asia when choosing bubble tea shops I usually look for reviews of bubble tea shops which are appreciated by customers from Asia such customers set a higher standard for bubble tea because they can try different shops in Taiwan or Asia and decide what is good and what is bad The first comment I saw was written by an Asian woman She mentioned that she had "tested" this place a year ago and when she returned to the same place a year later she was surprised that the quality remained the same If you want to know whether bubble tea is good or not Having tried bubble tea in most European cities (London I was pleasantly surprised by the richness and aftertaste of the jasmine green tea I ordered It was the taste of authentic Taiwanese tea The traditional tapioca pearls were very easy to chew Probably the best European bubble tea shop I've visited so far," wrote one active commenter on the Le Tea account on Google the taste of traditional Asian bubble tea will be waiting for everyone at the "Le Tea" shop on Trakai Street Le Tea teas can also be ordered on delivery platforms "Volt" and "Bolt Food" but opening hours change depending on the season and we recommend checking opening hours on Google Maps before visiting the store Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/letea2020/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Letea2020 Article prepared in collaboration with Le Tea The journalist of the portal "Time Out" was very happy with this newly published list in Great Britain Conwy Castle is so impressive that it defeated its competitors castles from Lithuania Trakai Island Castle was given a very high rank - even second place The journalist also urged not to be lazy and visit as many countries and their unique beauty castles from this list as possible We can be happy that the representatives of the US travel magazine were so impressed by Trakai Island Castle that they even gave it the second place "There is perhaps no better place on earth to find awe-inspiring castles than in Europe where you can't seem to visit a city or take a trip without stumbling upon some sort of royal abode." Here you'll find medieval stone walls sky-high towers and bridges spanning glittering moats everywhere from the Bavarian Alps to the Mediterranean coast Check out this list of the 26 most beautiful castles in Europe and get ready to feel like a real king," writes Caitlin Morton a journalist for the US travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler "The Trakai Castle, reconstructed in the second half of the 24th century, stands on an island in Galvė Lake - a picture perfect for a postcard. The city of Trakai is only XNUMX km west of Vilnius, so you can easily go on a day trip. in Trakai you will see the Gothic architecture of the castle the brick and stone chapel and the wonderful surroundings" - the American magazine writes about Trakai Castle for some reason there is not a single castle from Poland Nor is it mentioned what criteria this list was based on You can find the entire list of the most beautiful castles and the article in English here Time Out Group is a global media and hospitality services business that began operations in London back in 1968 Time Out helped people discover new and exciting urban cultural events that have sprung up all over the capital This iconic brand has maintained its status as a source of inspiration for locals and visitors alike to this day Allowing people to explore and enjoy the city's best attractions written and curated by local expert journalists travel and entertainment in 333 cities and 59 countries Time Out is headquartered in London and is listed on the London Stock Exchange Condé Nast Traveler is a monthly travel magazine published in the United States since 1987 The publication offers informative content on a wide range of topics  Condé Nast Traveler has 16 million social followers 5 million monthly readers (print magazine) and 16 million unique users Buck naked apart from a tea cosy-like hat on my head, at 60C, the sweat begins streaming out of pores science hadn’t hitherto discovered, as my host dangles fans of dried herbs for me to inhale, then massages rock salt and juniper extracts into the muscles, working acupressure points on All victims were travelling in the same car The accident happened when the driver of a Citroen car lost control of the vehicle hitting another car travelling on the same side of the road which then knocked the Citroen into incoming traffic where it collided with a lorry head-on An emergency rescue vehicle travelling to the crash site also skidded off the road and overturned Lithuania has seen temperatures plunge to below zero, with as much as 20 centimeters of snow expected in parts of the country at the end of the week. Drivers have been urged to remain vigilant. Read more: Temperature in Lithuania to drop to 22C below zero the head of marketing at the tourism promotion agency Lithuania Travel suggests some of the places to visit this summer There are around 30 observation towers in Lithuania “built in the most beautiful regional and national parks,” says Trakimaitė-Šeškuvienė interestingly-shaped Kirkilai tower in Biržai” A new observation tower is nearing completion in Birštonas which will be the tallest of its kind in Lithuania There are about 200 tourist walkways in Lithuania many of them crossing its most picturesque places One to consider is the recently renovated Mūšos Tyrelio trail It crosses the Mūšos Tyrelio marsh in Joniškis District easily manageable for families with children There are also a number of walkways to be travelled barefoot Countryside villas used to be synonymous with weddings and anniversary celebrations Touring Lithuania's countryside can offer unique experiences It is particularly popular with foreign tourists Vinetu Kaimas in Kretinga District imagines a Native American village The Windmill of Tiltiškės offers to taste snails and in Paukščių Kaimas you will be treated with ostrich eggs Other places invite visitors to pick herbs why not see a stick museum in Kelmė or a hammer museum in Vilkaviškis District A pharmacy museum near Mažeikiai exhibits old treatment prescriptions and beaver glands that would be used for medicine A museum of fossils near Akmenė has evidence that dinosaurs used to live in Lithuania Step out of your comfort zone and spend a night Travelers can also spend a night in a partisan bunker one can skip siesta and stay active all day fans of physically intense activities may consider night-time rowing around Trakai Castle or nocturnal canoeing with torches on the Danė River in Klaipėda Cities feel quite different in summer than in autumn or winter Trakimaitė-Šeškuvienė particularly recommends Rokiškis Kaunas will be the European capital of culture in 2022 and has already prepared a number of interesting attractions tourists dedicate about a third of their holiday budget for food And Lithuania offers plenty of places to spend that budget dishes from the cuisine of Lithuanian dukes There are over 100 different food festivals in Lithuania: for blueberries There is a festival to mark the end of honey collecting season a herb-picking festival and a tree-cake (šakotis) baking championship one can relax in an amber sauna or have an amber massage Bee therapy would have you lay down in a rocking bed and feel the vibrations produced by bees behind a net – it is said to be very calming and relaxing Trakimaitė-Šeškuvienė says that visiting Akmenė limestone quarry took her breath away The defunct Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant also offers a unique experience It features prominently in the new HBO miniseries ‘Chernobyl’ about the 1986 nuclear disaster due to its visual resemblance to the Ukrainian facility but seeing it is very interesting,” Trakimaitė-Šeškuvienė says PHOTO: DELFI / Andrius Ufartas Andrius Satevicius of the Lithuanian Liberal Movement has been elected mayor of the southeastern Lithuania district of Trakai Satevicius won 52.39 percent of the vote in Sunday's mayoral election runoff against 45.88 percent for Jaroslav Narkevic of the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania – Christian Families Alliance according to preliminary results from the Central Electoral Commission Voter turnout in Sunday's runoff stood at 35.05 percent slightly up from 34.22 percent in the first round has been working as director of Trakai's municipal administration since the start of this year He had been a member of the municipal council since 2019 The electoral watchdog is expected to announce the final results on October 28 Trakai District elected its new mayor after Edita Rudeliene of the Liberal Movement became a member of parliament replacing Kestutis Glaveckas who passed away in late April won Sunday's mayoral election runoff in Lithuania's western district of Kelme With votes from all polling districts counted Petkevicius won 68.1 percent of the vote against 30.9 percent for Stasys Jokubauskas of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party has been serving in the Council of Kelme District since Lithuania's independence from the Soviet Union lost his mandate in June after he was convicted of bribery a medal was created and minted from pure silver to commemorate the historical place - "Trakui Castle" The limited edition medal is one of this year's unique new products."The Castle of Trakai Island lived its best years during the reign of Vytautas the Great After the victory in the Battle of Žalgiris but the residential importance of the castle became apparent but also beautified: the interior walls and ceiling were decorated with drawings multi-colored stained glass windows shone in the windows The representative hall was especially beautiful The Trakai Island Castle is not only an important monument of Lithuanian history but also the only water castle in Eastern Europe," says historian Eduardas Brusokas "The Trakai Castle is one of the reflections of the impressive history of Lithuania which even now shapes the country's image and makes its name famous Celebrating the centenary of the restoration of the Lithuanian state we can be proud to contribute to the perpetuation of our historical heritage we aim to perpetuate the events of Lithuania's history and its important symbols" Head of Marketing for the Baltic States of "Coin House" The obverse of the medal dedicated to the castle of Trakai Island shows the fortress from a bird's eye view the inscription "TRAKĪ SOLOS PILIS" is engraved in a semicircle along the edge of the medal a symbol of Lithuania dating back to the Middle Ages and the inscription "REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA" stretches along the edge The minting year of 2018 is indicated on the medal The "Castle of Trakai" medal is strictly limited to 500 pieces Its mass is 15,55 g and the diameter reaches 33 mm The medal is also unique in that it is minted at the Norwegian Mint where the Nobel Peace Prize medals are minted every year The medal can be purchased in the Monetų mai e-shop initiative of Dukes Kęstutis and Vytautas the Great It is one of the best-preserved castles in Lithuania which was built as a defensive fortress and used as the residence of the rulers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania The castle in the Gothic architectural style has been repeatedly devastated by wars and disasters but despite the difficult historical circumstances The castle island can only be reached by wooden bridges and a waterway which makes this historical site even more attractive There is no longer a single castle built on an island in Lithuania Now Trakai Castle is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Lithuania which introduces the country's history and takes you back to the times when the Grand Duchy of Lithuania reached the peak of its power Monetų namai UAB is a representative of the world's most famous mints and the official distributor of collectible coins and medals in Lithuania belongs to the Samlerhuset Group of companies The "Samlerhuset" group of companies is a representative of more than 50 countries issuing numismatic objects distributing numismatic products issued by the most famous issuers - the British Royal Mint The group of companies owns the former state-owned Norway's oldest mint which mints the Nobel Peace Prize medal every year Eleonora Budzinauskiene (ELTA) The parliamentarian took this step after receiving complaints from more than one member of the Trakai Vokė community regarding the maintenance works on the territory of the former Tiškevičiai manor but people also have doubts about transparency "The residents' concerns are understandable You don't need to be an expert to notice how neglected the territory is - the replanted greenery is not properly maintained there are doubts about the quality of the installation of footpaths and rainwater networks and the image of the renovation of the manor building does not correspond to what is provided for in the project This shows either the incompetence of the project executors or possible fraud in order to make a profit" The member of the Seimas calls on the heads of the Vilnius city municipality to initiate an independent audit of the project implementation which would help dispel doubts about possible corruption and irrational use of state and municipal budget funds The tender contract with UAB "Jungtiniai projektai" December 20 The end of the reconstruction works is stipulated in the contract - September 10 of this year but the works are not finished - 80% have been completed so far works for almost 2 million euros: the foundations of the park lights have been installed and the foundations for the installation of the upper layer of the paths have been prepared The value of the entire project is almost 2,5 million The project is planned to be completed by May 10 of next year The manor palace and the wonderful landscape architect E Andre's park surrounding it are visited by many curious tourists in the warm season most of them are Lithuanian residents seeking to get to know their country adults are usually interested in the history of the manor while young people and young visitors have not yet been proactively included in the process of getting to know the heritage we sought to prepare and publish a guide that would help young people explore the palace and the park on their own and we prepared a special booklet for children in a format acceptable to the little ones about the manor The book's child-friendly format will help attract visitors in the coming years and will provide children with easily understood knowledge about the manor's history," say the authors of the publication Although it was not possible to invite visitors to the palace this year the new book has already served to increase the awareness of the object - the book has already been presented to educators and organizers of family excursions who are looking forward to the opportunity to organize group tours and education in the manor house no less important goal was achieved by the implemented project - cooperation of specialists was encouraged while working in difficult conditions and the curiosity of future visitors was aroused The publication will be waiting for them in the coming years at the Trakai Vokė manor homestead the first and only king of Lithuania.  All you need is a passport of opportunity and come with a good mood!  The concert is donated by: Trakai District Municipality has become the homeland of many national communities National minorities are an important part of society: for many centuries they have greatly enriched the culture of our country with their unique culture In order to get to know more about the historical and ethno-cultural heritage of our native land the Trakai Chamber of Culture is preparing the project "Here is our homeland" which fosters the culture of national minorities supported by the Department of National Minorities under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania national communities living in Lithuania gather in one group the traditional festival of the Trakai Palace of Culture "Here is our birthplace and it will be joined by a national national anthem concert organized by TV3 during which you will see the "stars" of the Lithuanian entertainment world - Ieva Norkutė X factor performers Tita/Ben/Kristina and many others Impressive event will be held at the observation deck in front of the Castle of the Island and will be broadcast live on TV3 television "TRANS/MISIJOS BALTICUM" - the second international arts festival artists and music performers of Lithuania will perform and the guests of the festival - professional theaters who have come to Lithuania and artists and performers delegated by theaters from the three countries of the Baltic Sea states - Latvia The festival will take place on September 5-12 every day a different country will present itself with a prepared unique artistic program - an exhibition thanks to which the audience will be able to get to know the artistic culture of each country more closely This is the world's highest-level rowing competition We had to present to the members of the board not only our possibilities to organize a huge championship but also to prove our advantages over our competitors to base our ambitions on concrete decisions to explain how we will implement new infrastructure plans" who experienced a considerable dose of adrenaline in front of the decision-making members of the board Trakai's opportunities are strengthened by the 2 million granted by the country's government euro guarantee for the implementation of the championship Other important arguments for choosing Trakai: a unique historical city which can be reached from Trakai in just 30 minutes preparations to build a new rowing hotel in the Trakai sports base installation of an infrastructure for observing rowing competitions on one of the islands of Lake Galvė good experience in organizing championships of a similar level "The tracks have a very high chance to sound all over the world - to announce good news about our city and our country at the FISA Congress on September 2," the mayor asserted It is officially rated as the World Cup in Trakai would also be of great economic benefit to Lithuania It is predicted that the most money will be from 2,5 to 3,1 million euros - would be received through accommodation expenses the costs of the organizing committee would amount to about 1,1 million and the expenses of visitors and fans - about 690 thousand About 2000-2500 participants and service personnel and 250 journalists would come to Lithuania during the championship The World Rowing Championship will fight for tickets to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris According to the president of the Lithuanian Rowing Federation, D. Pavilionis, Lithuania is well-regarded for its solid performance, which has been accumulated over more than 15 years. More than one international championship was held in Trakai, and the organizational work performed was evaluated very well. Breakthrough to international waters started back in 2002 when the world junior rowing championship was held for the first time in Trakai in 2006 - the World Student Rowing Championship in 2008 - the World Masters Rowing Regatta in 2012 It was organized by the youth of the world in Trakai and in 2013 - world junior rowing championships the marathon of top-level competition continued other major international championships were held in Trakai: in 2005 and in 2011 the "Baltic Cup" international regatta took place in 2009 - the "Družba" international rowing regatta responsible work not only motivates and forces continuous improvement but also strengthens and grows the prestige of Lithuanian rowing in world rowing organizations The good name and strong positions are consolidated by the excellent results of Lithuanian rowers who are representatives of the world's rowing elite over the years rowers Mindaugas Griškonis and Saulius Ritter took second place and Donata Vištartaitė and Milda Vaičiukaitė took third place The representatives of the Olympic team performed well in 2018 as well where rowers Ieva Adomavičiūtė and Milda Valčiukaitė won the gold medal and Mindaugas Griškonis won the bronze medal Rolandas Maščinskas and Dovydas Nemeravičius won a silver medal at the European Rowing Championship "I am very happy that rowing stars Milda Valčiukaitė Mindaugas Griškonis are from Trakai or represent the physical culture and sports center of the Trakai district and the head coach of the Lithuanian rowing team is also our native Mykolas Masilionis So we hope that Trakai will achieve the long-awaited title of world rowing capital" where about 600 participants from 13 countries gathered We invite you to support the Lithuanian national team enjoy the beautiful performances of the athletes against the impressive background of the Trakai Castle Spectators of the regatta can also try "dry rowing" in the entertainment area located on the shore Rowing with ergometers in the three-dimensional Galvė lake The three-day event will be crowned by the dynamic and exciting LIKF sprint race Teams will be formed from all the participants by lottery and they will have to overcome a section of the 250 m rowing course with their new partners Spectators of the regatta are invited to the Trakai Olympic Sports Center at Karaimų st. 73 - event free of charge You can follow the program and results of the event: http://www.lif.lt/amber-oars-2019/ a unique international masters' sprint regatta "Rowing Masters Sprint" will be held during which masters of various age groups will compete in the 500 m distance Hot weekends attract many Vilnius residents to Traki as there are many lakes and well-maintained free and paid beaches Trakai District Municipality announces that two beaches currently have official beach status: Akmena lake beach ir Vilkokšnis lake beach. Meanwhile, the list of swimming pools is much larger: near Lentvaris lake (from Vytautas street, Lentvaris), The coast of Lake Luka (at the former Nemunas rowing base), near Totoriški Lake (access from Plomėnai Street, Trakai) near Totoriški Lake (access from Ežero Street near Nava lake (by Aukštadvaris hill) Vilnius residents longing for complete peace and cleanliness can choose one of the five paid beaches in Trakai They charge from 5 to 35 euros for a visit The beach "Kempingas Slenje" was chosen among the best beaches in Lithuania This beach is located on the coast of the largest and deepest lake of the city of Trakai which offers a view of the Užutrakis manor homestead and the castle of the island of Trakai Beach and water entertainment on the "Kempingas Slenje" beach: comfortable sunbeds Beach cleaning fee:Adult fee - 5 eurosChild – 3.50 euros.Car - 5 euros.This price includes use of the beach and sunbeds "TonyResort" recreation and entertainment park offers an opportunity to enjoy exclusive recreation at Gilushis lake There are far fewer visitors on this beach Most of the visitors to the beach are families who like a rich but quiet vacation without loud music (GPS: 54.70604 24.901904)Reservation: 8 611 44 ​​445 Beach cleaning fee for non-hotel residents:Adult fee - 5 euros.For children from 4 to 12 years old - 1 euro.Children up to 4 years old - free of chargeSunbeds Esperanza Resort is a luxury eco-friendly spa hotel Esperanza guests can relax on the lakeside private beach with more than 80 comfortable and luxurious lounge chairs Beach cleaning fee for non-hotel residents:The adult fee is 35 euros.Children up to 12 years old receive a 50% discount.Children up to 3 years old are free if they do not use sunbeds Margis Hotel Beach is located on the quiet and charming peninsula of Lake Margis surrounded by beautiful hills and pine forest 8 km from Trakai and 35 km west from Vilnius Beach and water entertainment: beach volleyball court Beach cleaning fee for non-hotel residents:Adult fee - 5eurFree for children under 12 years oldThis price includes use of the beach "Margio Poilsiaviete" offers you to come to a neat and calm beach on hot summer days There is an opportunity to hide in the gazebos from the sun or unexpected rain Margios Resort offers exciting rides on a sports boat around Lake Margios extreme swimming on a waterboard or water skis Beach cleaning fee:Adult fee - 5 euros.Free for children under 12 years old According to the portal, police informed that around 9.55:7 a.m a report was received that an item similar to an explosive (XNUMX mm in diameter) was found in Trakai The project manager informed about the incident Archaeological excavations were said to be underway which has visited the most famous festivals throughout Europe and beyond returns to the heart of Lithuania - Trakai Castle Another test awaits "Hamlet" in the castle of Elsinore Korshunov to the modern make-up tables - this is the courtyard of the 27th century Traukai Castle The performance will take place this Saturday "Hamlet" is a step that needed to be matured It took a decade for the theater named after him "We had to mature for a long time before Hamlet we have been working towards it for ten years The experience of all ligtola performances the accumulated experience of working with actors mistakes and discoveries are put together in "Hamlet" The premiere of "Hamlet" is not only the summation of ten years of experience but also the result of three years of intensive work before the premiere I realized that I had to ask myself fundamental questions I also told the actors that we will be closed we will deal with our personal questions and topics - who we are as people who we are as representatives of our profession both in a professional and human sense," says the director "Hamlet" has become one of the most visited performances in Lithuania and the most intensively touring abroad It was the presentation of "Hamlet" that marked the return of director O Korshunov and his theater to the prestigious Venice Biennale after a 16-year hiatus The audience in Venice was united - the performance of the people of Vilnius became one of the most outstanding performances at the biennale of that year "This is the most impressive applause heard at this year's Venice Biennale," said one of the Biennale's organizers after the performance The "Hamlet" troupe endured two intense tours - France, which has become a second home after the theater, and distant China. The latter is not the only country visited on another continent. Hamlet's tour history includes records of performances in Brazil and in Taiwan one important fact should be mentioned - the director O Koršunovas had the idea to play Hamlet himself Refused simply because it requires a lot of physical preparation the role of Hamlet created by actor Darius Meškauskas is extremely close and important to the director "Darius Meškauskas is my alter ego in this play," says O "Hamlet" started a new stage of the OKT theater and a trilogy of performances which developed the search for fundamental existential questions of the professions of actor and director The second part of the trilogy is "The Bottom" with the help of our profession we tried to answer the fundamental question of who we are who is the current viewer." We relied on Hamletish principle when the performance must be performed for the one most important audience Only then can it have an effect on everyone," the director names the questions raised although all the plays staged in the trilogy are classic works written by such authors as W each of them is like a litmus test for modernity "These are very good plays to experiment with All these parts are connected by special attention to the actors In "Hamlet" we completely abandon the traditional theater space - here there is no longer a distinction between the stage and the backstage and the actors sit at the make-up tables in front of the audience apply make-up and create their roles right there "Dugne" actors and audience sit at the same table thus completely eliminating the Rubicon between audience and actors In "The Seagull" this process is developed even more radically as if to give the impression that the story is happening together with the viewer" Rasa Samuolytė and Vaidotas Martinaitis will play medieval scribes created material monuments of writing in scriptoriums lit by candles They were people who wrote down the original thoughts of Lithuanian rulers or turned their ideas into scenarios of great events The walls of the castle of Trakai Island seem to have preserved the spirit of the elite of Lithuania's historical past who lived we are writing the history of the present time here," says Alvyga Zmejevskienė One of the details of that history is the "Post Scriptum" festival of Trakai Castle which will take place for the first time on August 11-15 "The name of the festival "Post Scriptum" reflects its essence We want to connect the glorious past of the country with modern culture we want to build a thread between what our ancestors said and what we will say to future generations" Trakai Island Castle has never had its own festival Organizers of Post Scriptum hope that the almost week-long cultural festival will bring the castle to new life "Cultural monuments are alive as long as we remember and nurture them they should not remain frozen in time," festival organizer Vitalijs Matrosov is convinced Live sound performances will take place at Trakai Island Castle for three days singer Monika Marija will open the festival "Post Scriptum kind of reminds me that even when a story ends and a point is made PS means the freedom to continue the story This festival is the point that connects history and each of us," says the singer who will perform at Trakai Castle on August 13 is convinced that nothing is more permanent than constant change Everything becomes a story to cling to if you want to keep your head from spinning The forms of music are also constantly changing It is like a living bridge between the past and the future singer Inga Jankauskaitė speaks with emotion as always.  "Post Scriptum" organizers have prepared an extraordinary performance the orchestra "Kristupos styginiai" will invite you to the magical and magical world of Harry Potter and the Nutcracker intriguing and revealing the essence of music," says orchestra conductor Karolis Variakojis and promises a spectacle that will combine the sounds of modern music the most modern lighting technologies and historical heritage Perhaps the most famous Lithuanian lighting director Arvydas Buinauskas will take care of the lighting of the festival "Not only the festival stage will light up I am sure that together with the performers they will tell magical stories" - Arvydas Buinauskas promises a spectacle full of music and lights Concert organizers are preparing to ensure the safety of spectators and performers and all recommendations of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania will be followed during the performances "Post Scriptum" festival in the Island Castle - August 11-15 The festival is organized by the Trakai History Museum and "JaGa" the Peninsula Castle will be filled with music The organizer of the event is Trakai History Museum "We aim for the event to be educational in nature which is why strict historical requirements are applied to all participants," says Virgilijus Poviliūnas almost 200 participants will take part in the celebration: members of warfare and medieval life reconstruction clubs from Lithuania A large part of the program will consist of performances by martial arts clubs Hospitalierai and Varingis representing Lithuania together with Belarus' Bielj Tur and Vieruš and St The Mauritian company from Latvia will present LDK and Teutonic Order military units small arms and unique armor reconstructions The armor was restored according to the decree of Dukes Kęstutis and Vytautas the Great in 1379 The brotherhood of knights of the Olsztyn Castle from Poland will recreate the scenes of medieval life: the rebellion against the duke There will also be matches organized by members of this club for spectators and small visitors of the event Crafts and old technologies will be given considerable attention at the Medieval Festival more than 30 artisans will participate in the event reports will be read about historical martial arts Illusionist and juggler Viačeslav Mickevičius will help you feel the spirit of the Middle Ages whose performances make even the biggest skeptics smile The medieval music ensemble Lity Taler from Belarus will entertain guests with songs and dances dancers Saltus gladii and music Ambera will show two programs - dances of the court and common people In the evening it will be possible to listen to the bands Obelija the event will be crowned by a fire show - a new program will be shown by the dance and fire studio Čiutyta Plus You can get acquainted with the program of the event on the Internet: www.trakaimuziejus.lt and on the Facebook account of the event visible and invisible renovations are taking place in them We decided to ask the guides who accompany tourists to the castle and who can express their opinion about the changed prices and what they think about Trakai Castle itself but it's a shame that a very large part of the opinions were negative.  Guide Aušra Mikulskienė said that if she has the chance she tries to avoid taking tourists to the castle it is better to take a boat and take tourists around because Trakai Castle is a tourist trap Almost all the guides asked mentioned the fact that the exposition of the castle is very poor and does not meet the expectations of tourists: "There are no original works of art in the museum Everything looks as if it was bought at the Calvary market for rubles..." said the guide Janina Uloza to these the words were agreed by almost all the guides asked and they also all mentioned the inconveniences for the disabled the equipped but mostly non-working elevator the exhibits that have hardly been updated since Soviet times and the lack of entertainment and interactive entertainment It is true that there are several interactive stands in the castle which have not been working for a long time the guides joked that they can really show tourists what a Soviet museum looks like.. Now customers will be dissatisfied with such a high ticket price for a museum that does not even provide interesting and useful information for a foreigner."  Tourist groups are lucky if they go with a guide because the guides cover the poverty of the exposition with a story but individual visitors who pay a lot of money are left with a poor impression to comment on the change in pricing: "the current situation of the reality of life affected by COVID-19 when the cultural tourism sector has shrunk due to the maximum recession competing with others in the entertainment have a similar but not identical institutions offering leisure content experience "sinkholes" in visitor interest the statistics and dynamics of physical visitor visits to the Trakai History Museum (compared to 2019) force the Museum to review the rates of services provided The prices for visiting the Trakai History Museum and all its objects do not correspond to the current realities the institution has slightly increased the prices of both admission tickets and the services of tour guides or educators only after the introduction of the euro as the figures in the museum price lists had become ridiculous and inadequate Trakai Island Castle ticket prices have not changed for the past two years in 2020 the changed current circumstances made it necessary to change some prices (for the most part) based on seasonality: for the 6 months of the "active visit" season it is proposed to change the prices by increasing them to leave the prices as they were for the 6 months of the "inactive visit" (or - off-season months) in 2019-2020 It is important for the museum to divert part of the visitor flow from the attractive months of the year to the less visited ones by offering a more competitive visit price The regulation of visitor flows has become particularly important since 2020 after the introduction of the requirements for organizing the activities of cultural sector institutions and ensuring their continuity which apply to an emergency situation" - wrote the director of the Trakai History Museum in her reply 99 employees work in the Trakai History Museum the average salary of an employee is 1200 euros.  beauty and importance of Trakai Castle for Lithuania and Trakai Castle or the Trakai History Museum is the third in Lithuania in terms of the number of visitors on average it is visited by almost 400 visitors per year (000 data).  "Moulds and lichens have grown high in Trakai these lines written by Maironis are still the best marketing text for Trakai Castles although centuries pass and the walls are no longer crumbling Source: Welovelithunia.com The artist who won the Breakthrough of the Year and Electronica of the Year awards at the MAMA ceremony confirmed that on August 3 will perform in Trakai Castle "This is my only summer concert that will take place outside the festival," says Ignas Pociūnas a performer who introduces himself under the pseudonym "Daddy Was A Milkman" "I am glad that this time I can invite you all to a special place - Trakai Castle." The artist has more good news: a brand new song from the currently recording second album "Daddy Was A Milkman" debuted two years ago and quickly won the hearts of music lovers and music critics The best proof of this is the sold-out concerts - so far all the Daddy Was A Milkman shows have been sold out It happened for the first time in July of last year, when the debut album "Daydreaming" was presented a concert Not everyone could fit in the "Summer terrace" of the teachers' yard The hype was so great that fans sold out all the tickets weeks before the event In December, Daddy Was A Milkman held concerts in three major cities of the country - Klaipėda, Beautiful and in Vilnius an additional concert was announced in the capital the tickets for which were sold out at lightning speed in 2016 was crowned by another sold-out concert of "Daddy Was A Milkman" - this time all the tickets were bought by "brothers" Latvians, who listened to our artist in a crowded "Palladium" club in Riga (Latvija) Many of the big festival organizers in our region want to see Daddy Was A Milkman in their programs the artist successfully represented our country at the largest Baltic festival "Positivus" His great performance was enjoyed by the audience of one of the biggest Lithuanian music festivals "Granatas Live" Daddy Was A Milkman played at the one-day Summer In The City festival where they "warmed up" British star John Newman It's already known that the artist will be back on the Summer In The City stage this year with Daddy Was A Milkman promising an exceptional performance alongside headliners Royksopp and JP Cooper Daddy Was A Milkman's only non-festival gig will take place on August 3rd Italian superstar Zucchero and American rockers Future Island who will start the autumn season in the capital the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte himself got caught on this winding road to Vilnius The representatives of Vilnius greeted him in Paneriai The road to Kaunas has apparently existed in this place since ancient times but no information from those ancient times has survived 1823th century the poet and local explorer Vladislovas Sirokomlė (1862-XNUMX) wrote that in his time the "wretched-looking" heavily excavated Mount Paneriai was once so steep that it was difficult to stop horses going down the old road One of the main roads in Lithuania at that time was not only steep It was barely enough for two carts to pass so those going up the hill shot into the air to warn those going down it Travelers struggled to make their way to the top of the mountain Paneriai has been famous for its sticky sands since ancient times and build fences in dangerous places on the roadsides We can still see the concrete pillars driven in back then Since Vilnius was included in the composition of Poland the road was renamed Juzefs Pilsudskis tract in 1831 June 19 a battle took place in this place between the Lithuanian rebels led by General Antanas Gelgaudas and the tsar's army.The old section of the Vilnius-Kaunas road was important for the city until about the middle of the last century more modern and wider roads were built in the countryside turning the old hill tract into an object of more historical interest Information prepared by: Augustė Juodėnaitė, VilniusGO.lt will present their works in the joint project "Untold Story" The band and orchestra duet added new elements to the "Untold Story" program created last fall especially for this event - pyrotechnic effects the usual electric guitars for the band members and a special guest Together with "Colours of Bubbles" and the orchestra singer Jurga will perform two pieces at this concert "The Trakai Castle obliges and makes you feel special so we want our performance here to be like that too we will replace the acoustic guitars with electric ones add special effects and perform several songs with the wonderful Jurga" Having decided to mutually continue the friendship between the orchestra and the group, which began last fall and was marked by sold-out concerts and the album "Untold Story", the collectives have already appeared on stage twice this summer - in a solo performance at Chaim Frenkel's villa in Šiauliai and at the Sea Festival Klaipėda Į a concert In Šiauliai at the end of July over a thousand spectators watched the concert The concert at the cruise ship terminal in Klaipėda attracted over five thousand spectators It is already clear that the courtyard of Trakai Castle will also be full but you can still get tickets for the concert at "Bilietai.lt" "We have been growing up for thirteen years and prepared unplanned for this event - a big exclusive stage and a performance with an orchestra which we are very much looking forward to and for especially if Ally Gilchrist or Jason Kerr are handed debuts by Tommy Wright JOE SHAUGHNESSY insists St Johnstone’s kids will be all right against FK Trakai With club captain Steven Anderson missing with a knee injury boss Tommy Wright will have to draft in one of his youngsters Liam Gordon and Jason Kerr are all in the frame to replace Ando Keep up to date with ALL the latest news, transfers and goals from Scottish football plus fixtures Shaughnessy knows he must shoulder extra responsibility, especially if Gilchrist or Kerr are handed debuts, but after two years in the Saints first team he’s ready for it. He said: “Ando has done the whole pre-season, but now he’s got an injury and he will be out for a couple of weeks. “It’s frustrating losing your captain for the first game, but hopefully we have enough to get us through the ties. I’ve had two years of  first-team football and I’m used to it “You don’t hang about here long if you are not a good defender The gaffer will be confident in all of them “The fact it’s a European tie doesn’t make a difference They will just be looking forward to the challenge “When you are that age you don’t have any fear “It’s a big chance for them to lay down a marker for the season ahead Our team is a lot more settled now than it was that night I am a lot more settled at centre-back and I’m looking forward to having another go at Europe and trying to do better There were a lot of injuries and the team was a bit put together that day “But we’re a lot more settled now and hopefully we are more comfortable too.” Scotland’s tumbling coefficient has meant our sides have faced tough qualifying campaigns in recent seasons Starting so early has led to only Aberdeen and Hearts making the group stage since the format was introduced Shamrock Rovers and Dundalk have flown the flag with real credit for Ireland Shaughnessy believes if clubs from his homeland can make it He added: “When you see Dundalk doing  so well in Europe last season that inspires you Shamrock Rovers did well a few years back as well “It just shows that you have to believe in yourself and trust that you can do it Last season nobody would have expected us to finish fourth but we did “We just need to try and pick up from where we left off last season “We are used to not having any expectation on us You try to do it for yourself and not worry about doing it for anyone else.” We pay for your stories and videos! Do you have a story or video for The Scottish Sun Online? Email us at scottishsundigital@news.co.uk or call 0141 420 5266 Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click here Traffic is especially congested when parents drop off their children near schools Probably the most congestion occurs at the largest school - Trakai Vytautas Didijos Gymnasium a reliable method has been found to eliminate this seemingly insurmountable obstacle These are recent Trakai buses of the station a "Parents' station" also known as "Kiss and ride" is located on the territory This stop was created by the initiative and funds of Trakų district municipality in order not to get stuck near the biggest school and to drop off the children safely you just need to turn towards the Trakai bus station and after turning around it drive to the area marked with red safety cones at the market Stop and drop off children at the bright green sign "Parents' stop" drive again along the edge marked with cones and leave the territory of the Trakai bus station in the right direction According to the managers of UAB "Trakų bussai" more and more parents are using the "Tēvelių stotele" because it is much safer to drop off their children there and the possibility of accidents is reduced Are you sure you want to post this? We're asking people to rethink comments that seem similar to others that have been reported or downvoted this warning is a mistake Continue with Facebook Please use a standard web browser (like Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Edge) to log in with Google or Facebook. Social logins don’t work in some apps. or Enter your email address or username and we’ll send you a link to reset your password An email with a link to reset your password was sent to the email address associated with your account Please enter your email to complete registration Your account isn't active yet. We've emailed you an activation link. Please check your inbox and click the link to activate your account 0, text: success" style="display: none;"> For Bored Panda Members Only, Join Our Weekly Newsletter Yes, subscribe me to Bored Panda Weekly Newsletter! Continue × Join the Fun! Join 1.2 million Panda readers who get the best art, memes, and fun stories every week! You're on the list! Expect to receive your first email very soon! Light forms studio converted a dark and abandoned park in Trakai municipality into an enlightened swing park that became a local and tourist attraction What used to be a shady and unsafe place now is one of the most visited sites in a small town Project is a result of a collaboration between Lightforms design studio and Vilnius Academy of Arts students who proposed this project to the municipality as it became the cultural capital of Lithuania in 2020 More info: lightforms.lt Share icon Share icon Share icon Share icon Share icon Share icon Share icon Share icon Share icon Share icon Share icon Anyone can write on Bored Panda. Start writing! Follow Bored Panda on Google News! Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda! This lazy panda forgot to write something about itself. Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report OK, that's one of the cooler things I've seen. Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report Beautiful photos of a wonderful idea Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report would love to go there 0comments 22 points 1comment 19 points 1comment 25 points 2comments 22 points 5replies 21 points 0comments 18 points 1comment 28 points 5comments 30 points 3comments 18 points 3comments 28 points