Voruta
Voruta (German, outdated: Warutten ) is the possible first capital of the Kingdom and Grand Duchy of Lithuania , founded in the time of King Mindauga . It is not possible to locate Vorutas precisely because there are contradicting theories about it.
The historians even disagree as to whether Voruta was actually a city or whether a word with the meaning capital was misinterpreted . Kazimieras Būga , one of the most famous Lithuanian philologists , believed that "voruta" simply meant "castle" .
Mindaugas, the first and only crowned king of Lithuania defended himself in Voruta in 1251 during an internal Lithuanian armed conflict. This information from the Hypatius Chronicle is the only written report about Voruta. The castle Mindaugas' is in two further written sources mention that still enter but not in the name of the town. So it is unclear whether they refer to the same castle.
Some historians of the 19th and 20th centuries, however, considered Voruta "the first capital of Lithuania" and tried to determine its location. Tomas Baranauskas , a contemporary historian, calls Šeimyniškėliai near Anykščiai . Others see Voruta in Vilnius , the current capital, or in Kernavė , the capital in the Middle Ages . In total, there are about 15 different locations that the theories suggest.
Despite these uncertainties, Voruta is a well-known and well- liked concept in the minds of the Lithuanians .