50 Litų Trakai Island Castle

Trakai served as the seat of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania during its medieval peak, and the island castle on Lake Galvė was largely in ruins by the early twentieth century. Systematic reconstruction began in 1951 under Soviet administration — a politically awkward undertaking, given that the structure embodied Lithuanian national identity the occupying government was otherwise working to suppress. The rebuilt castle was not completed until 1987, just four years before Lithuanian independence.

This coin was issued the year Lithuania formally fixed its litas to the euro in preparation for EU accession negotiations.