Gedimino pilis (Aukštutinė pilis)

 Lithuania > Vilnius County > Vilnius

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Mountain, surrounded by rivers, is a convenient place for the construction of the castle and the grounds of a large settlement. As shown by the archaeological research on the castle hill already existed during the Neolithic poselenie.V the IX century, the mountain began to strengthen the wood and stone gorodboy and in XI-XIII centuries there stood a wooden castle. For the first time in written sources of the Vilnius castle mentioned in 1323, in the agreement of the Grand Duke Gediminas the Order of the Crusaders. This date is considered the founding of Vilnius. Vilnius Upper Castle and Gediminas Castle called. Gediminas Castle was important not only as a political center of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, but also as part of the defense complex. Together with the lower and the curve of the locks, he successfully withstood the attacks of the Crusaders in the XIV century.