Trakai Castle in Lithuania is set to undergo refurbishment works with almost 3.8 million euros. The planned works include installing medieval latrines as a new exhibition piece.
“The third floor [of the castle’s western side] is unused because it is not suitable for visitors – there are no proper communications, no electrical wiring, no heating, and the roof is not insulated, all of which will be resolved during the renovation,” said Alvyga Zmejevskienė, the museum's director.
The museum will install permanent and temporary exhibitions, while plans also include an art incubator.
The new exhibition will reopen the medieval latrines, which are currently inaccessible to visitors and are located in the unused attics.
“Visitors are often interested in the sanitary-hygienic side of castles, and there are latrines on that side that have not been exhibited until now,” said Zmejevskienė. “We are going to arrange everything in such a way that people can come and see it, hear the guides' stories about how the castle dwellers lived at that time: they not only ate and slept but also met other needs – people are interested in such things.”
Other renovation works include adapting the walkways to visitors with reduced mobility.
Trakai, located some 30 kilometres west of Vilnius, is the historical capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
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