Clan Rising
Medininkai Castle today

Lithuania · Restored

Medininkai Castle

Medininkų pilis

Medininkai Castle is a large rectangular medieval enclosure castle in the Vilnius district of Lithuania, built in the late 14th century and centered on a tall rectangular donjon. The site has high fieldstone-and-brick curtain walls enclosing an extensive grassy courtyard and later served varied residential and agricultural uses; it has been conserved and partly reconstructed and now houses a museum.

Recreate this castle →Defend this castle →

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

1390

Today

Restored

As it stood in 1390

What Medininkai Castle looked like in its prime.

Rectangular enclosure castle with long straight curtain walls of mixed fieldstone and red brick about 15 metres high and roughly 2 metres thick, enclosing a 1.8-hectare grassy yard. A dominant rectangular donjon c.30 metres tall occupies a corner with a crenellated parapet; four gate openings punctuate the walls. Service ranges of low red-tiled roofs run along the inner wall. The castle sits on level plain with a shallow scarp/ditch at the wall base and farmland beyond.

Its story

The story of Medininkai Castle.

Medininkai Castle, in the Vilnius district of eastern Lithuania, is the largest enclosure-type castle in the country, a defensive perimeter of 6.5 hectares, with walls 15 metres high and 2 metres thick around a courtyard of about 1.8 hectares, and a donjon of some 30 metres holding the residential quarters. The brick and stone castle was built in the late 14th century, likely by Grand Duke Algirdas, as a refuge for the local population during attacks by the Tatars and the Teutonic Knights.

In 1402 the castle was besieged and burnt down by the Teutonic Knights together with the future Grand Duke Švitrigaila, after which it fell into disuse as a defensive structure, though Grand Duke Vytautas the Great did not abandon it outright and visited several times. It later served as the summer residence of Casimir IV Jagiellon, Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland.

The Medniki estate passed to the Goštautas family in the sixteenth century, later to the Ogiński family, and by the nineteenth century to the Drohojowskis. In July 1944 the Soviets held approximately 6,000 captured soldiers within the castle grounds after the liberation of Vilnius from German occupation. Conserved and partly reconstructed, the castle now houses a museum.

Step inside

8 places to explore in 1390.

The record describes 8 distinct spots at Medininkai Castle, including 2 interiors: gate passage through the curtain, upper residential chamber in the donjon. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Exterior approach toward the donjon and main curtainDonjon exteriorCurtain wall and battlement walkGate passage through the curtainInner courtyardService ranges along the inner wallUpper residential chamber in the donjonOuter scarp and forefield

Build Your Own Castle

Recreate Medininkai Castle with AI to explore it.

The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1390, a photoreal reconstruction that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.

Recreate this castle →Defend this castle →

Whose castle

Clans who held Medininkai Castle.

The families that held Medininkai Castle for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.

  • Goštautas

    The Medniki estate passed into the hands of the Goštautas family in the sixteenth century.

  • Ogiński

    Held by the Ogiński family after the Goštautas.

  • Drohojowski

    Property of the Drohojowski family in the nineteenth century.

Questions about Medininkai Castle

What is the history of Medininkai Castle?

Medininkai Castle was built in the late 14th century as a refuge for local people during attacks by the Tatars and the Teutonic Knights. It was besieged and burnt in 1402, then ceased to serve as a defensive stronghold, although Grand Duke Vytautas visited it several times. It later became the summer residence of Casimir IV Jagiellon and now houses a museum.

What is inside Medininkai Castle?

Inside Medininkai Castle are a gate passage through the curtain wall and an upper residential chamber in the donjon. The donjon contains a museum with four exhibition halls. The castle courtyard and the service ranges along the inner wall are also documented parts of the site.

Why was Medininkai Castle built, and what was it used for?

Medininkai Castle was built as a defensive refuge for the local population during attacks by the Tatars and the Teutonic Knights. Its walls and towers formed a perimeter defence, while the donjon held residential quarters. After it ceased to serve as a defensive structure, it was used as a residence and later for agricultural and residential purposes; it now houses a museum.

Where is Medininkai Castle?

Medininkai Castle is in the Vilnius district of eastern Lithuania, near the town of Medininkai. It stands 31 kilometres from the centre of Vilnius, on a level plain near the Lithuanian-Belarusian border area. The castle is surrounded by farmland and lies beside the historic route linking Lithuania with Rus.

When was Medininkai Castle built?

Medininkai Castle was built in the late 14th century. The precise construction date is not recorded, although written sources place its construction between 1385 and 1388. The site therefore belongs to the 14th-century building phase, with later work carried out in brick and stone.

Was Medininkai Castle ever attacked or besieged?

Medininkai Castle was attacked several times by the Teutonic Order, including in 1320, 1385, 1392 and 1402. The 1402 assault was carried out with the future Grand Duke Švitrigaila, and the castle was besieged and burnt down. It had also sheltered local people during attacks by the Tatars and the Teutonic Knights.

Which family or clan held Medininkai Castle?

The Goštautas family held the Medniki estate from the sixteenth century. It later passed to the Ogiński family, and the Drohojowski family held the property in the nineteenth century. These successive families are the principal documented clan connections for Medininkai Castle.

What did Medininkai Castle look like in its prime?

Medininkai Castle is a large rectangular enclosure built of fieldstone and red brick. Its straight curtain walls are about 15 metres high and roughly 2 metres thick, enclosing a grassy courtyard of about 1.8 hectares. A dominant rectangular donjon, about 30 metres tall, occupies a corner, while four gate openings and low red-tiled service ranges complete the structure.

Is Medininkai Castle still standing, or is it a ruin?

Medininkai Castle is still standing and has been restored. Its defensive walls survive to about 70 per cent of their original height, while the walls and donjon have been conserved and partly reconstructed. The donjon reconstruction took place from 1994 to 2000, with about 50 per cent of the planned work completed.

Can you visit Medininkai Castle?

Medininkai Castle can be visited as a museum. A museum with four exhibition halls is housed in the 27-metre-high donjon, and the castle is conserved and partly reconstructed. The museum presents the castle’s history within the surviving fortress complex.

More castles of Lithuania

Panemunė Castle, LithuaniaPanemunė CastleDubingiai Castle, LithuaniaDubingiai CastleTrakai Island Castle, LithuaniaTrakai Island Castle
All castles of Lithuania · Castles of Europe · the best castles in Europe · explore the finished reconstructions.