Gotesverderis-Gocverdas-Vedesa
Goteswerder -Gotzwerd -Wedesa

Summary/Abstract: After the destruction of the Kaunas castle in 1362, one of the objects of fights between the Lithuanians and the Teutonic Order in the sixth decade of the 14th century became the castle of New Kaunas built by Lithuanians and the Gotteswerder castle built by the Teutonic Order, both situated in the same place at the confluence of the Nemunas and the Nevėžis. The exact place of these castles is not known apart from the fact that they were on an island. The archival sources of the end of the 14th century do not mention the placename of New Kaunas. The sources of the 15th-17th centuries mention Gotzwerd instead of Gotteswerder as an island of the Nemunas situated against the fields of Wedesa. The fields extended between the Nemunas, its arm the Niemnina and the Nevėžis. On the other hand, Gotzwerd is not indicated in the extant plans of the 18th century. The satellite image of the confluence of the Nemunas and the Nevėžis does not show any evidence of such island in the Nemunas. Summarizing, it can be said that the island of Nemunas called Gotzwerd was submerged in the 18th century. Therefore, an archaeological investigation of Wedesa fields between the Nemunas and the presently extinct Niemnina is necessary. As it has been mentioned, the castles of Gotteswerder and New Kaunas were complex defence constructions, which could hardly be situated on a small island in the middle of the river.

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