11.09.07
Trakai and the Karaites
In Trakai, a group of people called the Karaites have had a significant influence on local architecture and culture. The Karaites are an offshoot of Judaism, although they are not Semitic. Karaites are of Turkish origin and were living in the Crimean peninsula when Grand Duke Vytautas brought them to Lithuania (some as prisoners of war).
View of Lake Galvė in Trakai, Lithuania
SOURCE: View of Lake Galvė in Trakai, Lithuania. Photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 23 October 2007.
In Lithuania, the Karaites were allowed to practice their own religion. They served as guards in the fortresses and as personal bodyguards to Vytautas. The Karaites culture has permeated daily life in Trakai and many restaurants serve kibinai, a delicious pastry filled with mutton or mushrooms or other delicacies.
Karaites Houses in Trakai, Lithuania
SOURCE: Karaites Houses in Trakai, Lithuania. Photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 23 October 2007.
Karaites still live in Trakai. Their houses are distinctive with three windows facing the street. In fact, the houses are typically constructed sideways to the street, with the length of the houses extending away from the street and the entrance on the side. Many of the houses are built on stone foundations.
More Karaites Houses in Trakai, Lithuania
SOURCE: More Karaites Houses in Trakai, Lithuania. Photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 23 October 2007.
Just down the street from the houses of the Karaites stands the Russian Orthodox Church of the Nativity of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. The church was consecrated on 22 September 1863 in commemoration of the defeat of the Polish-Lithuanian Uprising against the Russian government.
Russian Orthodox Church of the Nativity of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary in Trakai, Lithuania
SOURCE: Russian Orthodox Church of the Nativity of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary in Trakai, Lithuania. Photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 23 October 2007.
Copyright © 2007 by Stephen J. Danko
