Last modified: 2023-06-03 by 
zachary harden
Keywords: senieji trakai | trakai | vilnius |
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image by Virginijus Misiunas, 30 December 2009
See also:
Senieji Trakai (Trakai District) - on a red field a golden
Gothic variant of Gediminas Gate. Flag proportions 10:11, free
edges bordered with a narrow golden stripe, finial is a
golden tip with open work like the Gothic Gediminas Gate.
Senieji Trakai was the residence of Gediminas, before he
inherited the throne of the Grand Duke of Lithuania. For
more than a century Trakai was the sub-capital of Lithuania,
and the legendary tradition calls it "the second
capital" (historically, the queue of capitals is more
complicated: Vilnius-Kernave-Vilnius-(Senieji) Trakai-Vilnius).
But the "Gediminas Gate" badge depended to the Kestutis
/ Vytautas branch (dukes of Trakai, later Grand Dukes of
Lithuania) of the Gediminas dynasty. Senieji Trakai was the
residence of this house, before they established Naujieji Trakai
(now Trakai city) in the mid 14th century. The Gothic variant of
the badge is known from armories of the early 15th century but
were almost forgotten for centuries. So it was chosen as the
symbol of ancient capital of Trakai Duchy and of Lithuania.
Virginijus Misiunas, 30 December 2009