Very few lithuanians and even fewer visitors of Lithuania know that the history of Trakai as the capital begins here, in Senieji Trakai (Old Trakai). It is a place which, according to legend, was found in 1316 by the Duke of Lithuania Gediminas during a hunt.Atop a hill, surrounded by oak trees and plains, in a strategic location, he built a brick castle and founded a city, which became the residence of the rulers of Lithuania for period of 7 yeras.

In 1323 the seat of power of the Duke of Lithuania was moved to Vilnius. From that point  on, Senieji Trakai became the capital of the Duchy or Trakai and eldership of Žemaitija. Lithuania's rulers took up residence there. The first to inherit the residence was Duke Kęstutis, son of Gediminas. In the chronicles of Lithuania from the 15th-16th centuries we find a most romantic legend about Duke Kęstutis and Birutė. She was the priestess at a sacred site in Palanga and was the daughter of Vidmantas, a noble from Žemaitija.

Upon seeing the beautiful Birutė, Duke Kęstutis wished to marry her, but the young woman refused, so she was kidnapped and taken to Senieji Trakai. From this marriage, around 1350, was born Vytautas, the Duke of Lithuania and one of the most prominent rulers of Lithuania, a gifted diplomat and military leader, who later came to be called the Great. It was during the years of his rule that Lithuania's borders stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea.

Vytautas the Great was born in a castle that was later destoyed in 1391 by the Teutonic Order. The castle never recovered its original appearance.