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Catalogue of postage stamps
Directory : Home: Postage stamps of 1991

Postage stamps
Name: “650TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF GEDIMINAS, THE GRAND DUKE OF LITHUANIA”
Issue date: 1991 09 28
Description:
CASTLE OF TRAKAI ISLE.
As the Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas’s capital Trakai was mentioned in 1320.
Trakai insular castle - one of many Trakai castles built by the Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas’s son Kæstutis and grandson Vytautas the Great on the isle in the Galvë lake. It was a residence of the rulers of the Grand Dutchy of Lithuania in the XV c. The Grand Duke Vytautas the Great died here on October 27, 1430. Kazimieras Jogailaitis also liked the castle and often stayed there.
The castle dates back to the middle of the XIV century. The palace is three storeyed with a tower 25 metres high. In the XV c. a precastle was built – a yard of irregular form surrounded by a stone wall 3,5 meters thick, 7 meters high with 5 towers (up to 16 metres high) and casemates. The building occupies the whole isle (about 1,8 h area).
At the beginning of the XVII c. the castle began to fall, and in 1655 it was destroyed by a Moscow tsar Alexy’s army. The insular castle was rebuilt only in 1959-1961. At present a museum is established in the castle, and the yard is used for the arrangement of perfomances and concerts.

GEDIMINAS, THE GRAND DUKE OF LITHUANIA (1275-1341).
Gediminas, one of the first representatives of the famous Gediminaièiai dinasty (the dinasty existed from the end of XIII c. till 1592), ruled Lithuania in 1316-1341 after his brother Vytenis’s death. Gediminas was an excellent politician. Using diplomatic means Gediminas achieved that Lithuania wasn’t involved into wars for 10 years. Under his rule large territories were incorporated. Lithuania became a powerful state and got the name of the Grand Dutchy. Gediminas removed the capital from Kernavë to Trakai and later to Vilnius (in 1323). In 1323-1324 Gediminas wrote letters to West Europe’s merchants

VILNIUS UPPER AND LOWER CASTLES.
A fragment of the painting “Atlass of the most famous towns of the world” by George Brown (it is considered to be the oldest plan of Vilnius city and was print in Cologne in XVI c.) is depicted in the stamp. The Lower and Upper castles are defensive and residence complex structure the rare size, consisting of many buildings of varied purposes.
The Upper castle is known to have been a settlement in the first millenium B.C. In the V-XIII centuries it was a timbered castle. In 1323 Gediminas removed Lithuania’s capital from Trakai to Vilnius and instead of the wooden Upper castle built a stone castle, which is called after his name now. From that point on Vilnius castle was mentioned as a residence of the Grand Duke. The castle consisted of the living palace, surrounded by a defensive wall with 3 towers, St. Martynas’ chapel and other buildings. In the XIX c. the south tower was destroyed as well as the remains of the north tower, and the west tower was broke down. The last one was restored before the Second World War. In 1956-1960 the remains of the towers and wall of the castle were preserved, and the territory was picked up. At present the fragments of the south tower, the gates and defensive wall, the ruins of the palace and the west tower on the top of the mountain 48 metres high (which dominates in the prospect of the Old town) exist. The west tower with waving Lithuanian flag is one of the symbols of the independent state.
The Lower castle - grand dukes’ Renaissance palace complex with a Gothic cathedral (1388) and other buildings. In the XIII c. it was surrounded by a defensive stone wall with towers. The structure of the castle changed in the XVI c. The building of the Supreme Tribunal, a new Renaissance palace of dukes, the Old Arsenal and some other buildings were built. During the war between Rzeczpospolita and Rusia (1655-1661) the Lower castle was badly damaged and burnt. After that only several buildings were repaired, others were destroyed or vacated. The present Cathedral, belfry, New and Old arsenals, house of the keeper of the castle survived till these days, and the dukes’ palace (unbuilt in the XIX c.) is under reconstruction at present.

30. CASTLE OF TRAKAI ISLE.
Face value 30 (k.). Edition 1.00 m.

31. GEDIMINAS, THE GRAND DUKE OF LITHUANIA (1275-1341).
Face value 50 (k.). Edition 1.00 m.

32. VILNIUS UPPER AND LOWER CASTLES.
Face value 70 (k.). Edition 1.00 m.

Artist K. Katkus.

Printed in Leipzig’s Securities printing-house.
Price LTL: 1.50

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