The chronicle of Bychowec in the Annals of Lithuania says: "And once the Grand Duke Gediminas went out from his capital Kernavė to hunt five miles away, beyond the Neris River, and found a beautiful mountain in a forest, surrounded by oak groves and plains. And he liked it very much, he settled there, and founded a city and gave it the name of Trakai, where Old Trakai had been, and moved his capital from Kernavė to Trakai." This happened around 1316. Gediminas settled and lived there for 7 years. He built a castle there, and during a hunting trip, he discovered another mountain, saw a howling iron wolf in his dream, and founded Vilnius. He left Trakai to his son Kęstutis and his wife Birutė and continued his life in Vilnius. Around 1350, Vytautas was born here. Although later castles were built on the peninsula and the island, Vytautas still took care of Old Trakai, settled Benedictine monks here, gave them a castle and entrusted them with taking care of his birthplace.
Trakai is surrounded by the lakes Luka (Bernardinai), Totoriškės and Galvė. Skaistis and Akmena. In total, there are over 200 lakes in the lake region of Trakai, which attract nature lovers like a magnet.
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