Rokantiškės Castle ruins are in Naujoji Vilnia

Naujoji Vilnia

Naujoji Vilnia is a neighborhood in eastern Vilnius, Lithuania situated along the banks of the Vilnia River. It has eldership status. The district has a population of about 32,800...

 elderate of Vilnius

Vilnius

Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...

, Lithuania

Lithuania

Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...

.

The castle was located east of Vilnius on a high hill near the Vilnia River

Vilnia River

Vilnia is a river in Lithuania. Its source is near the village of Vindžiūnai, 5 km south of Šumskas, at the Lithuanian-Belarusian border. The Vilnia is 79.6 km long and its basin covers 624 sq. km...

. First castle was built in 12th century. In 16th century, it was rebuilt in the Renaissance style

Renaissance architecture

Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance...

 and has been the seat of the Olshanski

Olshanski

Olshanski was a Lithuanian princely family from Galšia , Belarus, which used to be a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Their Coat of Arms was Hipocentaur...

 family. Alexander Olshanski, Yuri Olshanski and the last family member Pawel Olshanski have lived there. After his death the castle was inherited by Bona Sforza

Bona Sforza

Bona Sforza was a member of the powerful Milanese House of Sforza. In 1518, she became the second wife of Sigismund I the Old, the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and became the Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania.She was the third child of Gian Galeazzo Sforza and his wife...

 and later passed to the Pac

Pac (family)

Pac was one of the most influential noble families in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania during the era of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Numerous high ranking officials of the Commonwealth came from their ranks. Their coat of arms was Gozdawa....

 family. The Deputy Chancellor of Lithuania Stefan Pac

Stefan Pac

Stefan Pac was a Polish-Lithuanian szlachcic.He was a secretary of King Sigismund III Vasa since 1611, Grand Clerk of Lithuania since 1615, Recorder of Lithuania since 1626, Court Treasurer of Lithuania since 1630, Grand Treasurer of Lithuania since 1630, Deputy Chancellor of Lithuania since...

 was visited here by the King of Poland and Grand duke of Lithuania Władysław IV Vasa

Władysław IV Vasa

Władysław IV Vasa was a Polish and Swedish prince from the House of Vasa. He reigned as King of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 8 November 1632 to his death in 1648....

 on July 15, 1636.

The castle was burnt down by Cossacks on August 7, 1655 during the Russo-Polish War

Russo-Polish War (1654–1667)

The Russo-Polish War of 1654–1667, also called Thirteen Years' War, First Northern War, War for Ukraine was the last major conflict between Tsardom of Russia and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Between 1655 and 1660, the Second Northern War was also fought in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth,...

 and fell in ruins. Today there are the only visible medieval castle ruins

Ruins

Ruins are the remains of human-made architecture: structures that were once complete, as time went by, have fallen into a state of partial or complete disrepair, due to lack of maintenance or deliberate acts of destruction...

in Vilnius.