The castle hill, surrounded by rivers, was a convenient place to build a castle and build a larger settlement. As archeological research shows, there was a Neolithic settlement in Pilies Hill. XNUMXth century the mountain was fortified with wooden and stone barriers, and in the XI-XIII centuries. a wooden castle already stood here. The early history of the castle is closely related to the history of the city itself.
During the reign of the Grand Duke Gediminas of Lithuania, Vilnius was already known as the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and in 1323 Vilnius Castle was also mentioned for the first time in Gediminas' contract with the Teutonic Order. The Upper Castle is often called the Gediminas Castle. Under the rule of the first rulers of the Gediminai dynasty, the Vilnius Upper Castle was significant not only as the political center of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, but together with the Lower and Curved Castles formed the capital's defensive complex, which successfully withstood the XNUMXth century. in the second half, the attack of the Teutonic Order intensified. After the fire destroyed the wooden castle, in the XNUMXth century. At the beginning of the XNUMXth century, during the reign of Grand Duke Vytautas of Lithuania, a brick castle was built, the remains of which have survived to this day.
Wood carving. LNM
As the situation of the state changed over time, the castle lost its purpose, and fires and wars, after which it was not repaired, devastated the castle. 1610-1613 a prison operated in the basements of the castle, and the Aukštutine castle was used as a defensive fortress for the last time in 1655-1661. in the war It housed the Moscow army for some time. Since then, the castle was completely abandoned and gradually decayed and decayed.
The defensive functions of the castle were remembered in the 1831th century, when in the territory of Vilnius castles, by order of the Russian Tsar in 1838 a fortress was established. The ruins of the Upper Castle were also taken care of: the remains of the southern and northern towers of the Upper Castle, the western and northern walls, the castle walls were conserved, and the sliding castle hill was strengthened. in 1896 a two-story wooden optical telegraph superstructure was built on the west tower. After the liquidation of the fortress in the territory of the castles, in XNUMX A new road was built on the slope of the castle hill, the slopes of the hill were planted with trees, and a cafe was installed in the western tower. Conservation work continued in the interwar period.
in 1918 After Lithuania was restored as a state, in 1919 January 1 for the first time, the Lithuanian flag was raised on the tower of Gediminas Castle. Unfortunately, not for long. Vilnius region was occupied by Poles, and only in 1939 October 29 The Lithuanian tricolor fluttered again in the castle tower. During the Second World War, the western tower of the castle was badly damaged.
After the war, although Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union, the tower was rebuilt in 1960. After cleaning up the mountain area and conserving the fragments of other castle buildings, the Castle Museum was opened in the western tower, which has been open since 1968. became a branch of the Lithuanian National (then History and Ethnography) Museum. After the beginning of Lithuania's national revival, in 1988 October 7 the Lithuanian flag was raised again in the castle tower, and in 1995 after the renovation of the Castle Tower, the doors were opened with a renewed exposition. From the observation deck installed at the top of the tower, you can see the wonderful independent capital of Lithuania panorama. The castle tower with the flag of the Lithuanian state became a symbol of the nation's struggle for independence and statehood.
Source: Miestai.net, Lithuanian National Museum
