What was travelling like in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 15th–17th c.?

This article analyses the conception of travelling in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL) in the 15th–17th c. Information about travelling conditions can be found in the reminiscences, reports and notes of travellers from Western Europe. The success of the trip often depended on the road conditions. The main roads in the GDL were supervised by the state administration and regional dwellers were in charge of the local road system conditions. In places like swamps, which were hard to traverse, wooden paving and banks were made, which could last for miles. Despite all this, roads in the GDL were in bad condition and highly dependent on the seasons of the year. It was easier to travel in the winter, when the swamp land would freeze over. The “luck” of the trip let us judge of its difficulty or easiness. Those travelling abroad were forced to find a guide, usually a local, who could help with the route, places to camp and supply of horses. Escorts of diplomatic officers consisted not only of travel guides, but guards and servants as well. Most travellers from Western Europe viewed the GDL as an inhospitable, forested and swampy country. Accidents could happen as well when people were travelling: attacks by robbers or wild animals, so the most widely used roads were guarded by soldiers. Local travellers were faced with the same difficulties as foreigners