Attractions of Mukachevo district

The Palace of Princes Rakotsi in Mukachevo is better known as the "White House". It is located in the center of the city, inside the block on Cyril and Methodius Square. The palace was built in the XVII-XVIII centuries in a mixed Renaissance and Baroque style. It owes its second name to the initial color of the facade.

The palace served as the city family residence of the princes of the Transylvanian Rakotsi dynasty. In 1726, it became the property of the Shenborn family, for whom the famous German architect Yohan-Baltazar Neyman carried out a major reconstruction of the building and completed a new building in compliance with architectural proportions and symmetry. A powerful baroque portal stands out, next to which is placed a sculptural portrait of Prince Ferents II Rakotsi (according to legend, it was here that the prince wrote an appeal to the Hungarian people calling for an uprising against the Habsburgs).

Despite its respectable age, the "White Palace" is in excellent condition. Inside, the original interior has been largely preserved: cross vaults, ancient stucco, a marble fireplace, a bronze chandelier in the Art Nouveau style. Since Soviet times, the palace has been home to the Mukachevo Children's Art School, named after the founder of the Hungarian school of realistic painting, Mihay Munkachi. In the hall of the school there is a museum exposition dedicated to the artist, in particular, a plaster form of the future monument to Munkachi. There is a bust of Mihay Munkachi on the square in front of the palace.

The Palace of the Princes of Rakotsi is an architectural monument of national importance. Restoration is planned, after which the White House will be equipped with a museum of the Rakotsi family and a hall for receiving distinguished guests.

Mukachevo Castle "Palanok" is an outstanding historical and architectural landmark, the ancestral nest of the Transylvanian princes Rakotsi.

The castle was built on a high volcanic mountain (65 meters) in several stages. In the 11th century, by order of King Laszlo I, a stone tower-donjon was built on the site of the ancient Rus wooden fortifications, in 1321, by the will of King Karl Robert, Italian masters expanded the fortress, in 1394, Prince Fedir Koratovych, exiled from Podillya, took up the reconstruction ), and the fortress acquired its current appearance in the 17th century under Dyerd I Rakotsi.

Mukachevo Castle controlled the trade routes through the Veretsky Pass connecting the Middle Danube Valley with Eastern Europe. The outer lines of defense included a moat, a rampart, and a stockade (palanok), which gave the entire castle its name. A bridge across a dry moat led to the Lower Castle, a square for celebrations was provided in the Middle Castle, and princely chambers and a siege well (86 meters) were located in the Upper Castle.

The castle withstood many sieges. The most famous defense in 1685-1688 was led by Ilona Zrini, the widow of Ferents Rakotsi. For three years, she repelled the attacks of the Austrians, who were able to force the garrison to surrender only by trickery. For a long time, the castle was a stronghold of the Hungarian national liberation struggle under the leadership of her son Ferents II Rakotsi. Monuments were erected to both of them.

Under the Austrians, a prison for political prisoners was located here, and under the Soviet authorities - various institutions.

Since 1993, the premises of the Mukachevo Castle have been occupied by a historical museum and an art gallery. You can relax and have a snack in a cozy cafe. A wine tasting room of the "Chizay" trademark has been opened in the castle cellars.

The elegant hunting palace-castle of the Shenborn Counts is located in the Berehvar tract in the village of Karpaty, on the outskirts of Chynadiiovo, 10 kilometers from Mukachevo.

In 1728, Austrian Archbishop Lotar Frants fon Shenborn received a gift from Emperor Karl VI of large lands in the Mukachevo area, which in 1711 were taken from Prince Ferents II Rakotsi, the leader of the anti-Habsburg uprising.

The new owners chose the picturesque Berehvar tract for hunting and built a wooden hunting castle. In 1890-1895, Ervin Fridrikh Shenborn-Bukhhaym built a magnificent stone castle-palace in its place. The eclectic architecture dominated by Neo-Gothic and Renaissance elements gives the building a romantic look of the French castles of the Lyudovik XIV era. The project is based on the astronomical year: 365 windows correspond to the number of days in a year, 52 rooms correspond to the number of weeks, and 12 entrances correspond to the number of months. The building is decorated with numerous turrets, weather vanes, bright tiles, colored stained-glass windows, and heraldic stucco. On the clock tower you can see the coat of arms of the Shenborns with a lion and a crown. Interiors with grand staircase and fireplace have been partially preserved.

The palace is located in the center of an English park with an area of 19 hectares with a natural landscape where rare species of trees and shrubs are found: boxwood, sakura, Weymouth pine, Canadian spruce. The outline of the park pond repeats the map of Austria-Hungary.

Aristocrats from all over Europe gathered every autumn to rest and hunt in the Shenborn lands.

Since 1946, the clinical sanatorium "Karpaty" was opened on the territory of the estate, where cardiovascular diseases are treated. There is a pumping station with mineral water "Polyana Kupel". The building of the Shenborn Palace is now one of the buildings of the sanatorium.

Down by the road is the railway station "Sanatorium Karpaty", which is made in the same romantic style as the palace.

The Skakalo waterfall happily jumps over the boulders on the Matekiv mountain stream near the village of Chynadiiovo, immediately behind the Vodohray tourist complex.

A stone ridge crossing the wooded slope of the mountain blocks the path of the watercourse, and the stream breaks off the ledges with three steps, forming a four-meter cascade of jets that seem to jump from stone to stone.

The building of the Town Hall in Mukachevo has been serving its purpose for more than 100 years - now it houses the city council.

It was built according to the project of the Budapest architect Yanosh Bobul, Jr. When the first stone was laid in the foundation of the main clock tower, a letter was placed in which, in particular, it was reported that 14,416 people lived in the city, there were 1,553 houses.

The main portal is decorated with chimes installed by the master Yosyp Shovinsky. The main mechanism is located in a small oval room in the tower. A system of gears and levers connected by cables with two bells under the roof of the dome works in a glass box. Every 15 minutes, a hammer strikes the smaller bell, striking the quarter hours. Strikes on the big bell announce the hours. Thus, within the hearing range of the bells, the time could be determined by ear.

Veretskyi waterfall is a Carpathian pass at the watershed of the Stryi and Latoritsa rivers, which crosses the border of Zakarpattia and Lviv regions. Also known as Vorotskyi Pass or Rus Gate, now it is called Serednyoveretskyi.

In 894-896 BC, tribes of Ugrians (Hungarians) led by Arpad crossed the Veretskyi Pass, moving from the Urals to the Danube lowland. Having recaptured the Danubian lands from the Bulgarians, the Hungarians thereby gained their new homeland. Ukrainians moved to Transcarpathia along this route.

In 1896, a monument was erected in honor of the conquest of the homeland by the Hungarians at the pass, which was then the border between the Hungarian and Austrian parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It consists of seven blocks stacked on top of each other in the form of an arch. They symbolize the seven Ugric tribes that crossed the pass.

In 1939, a mass shooting of Ukrainian Sich archers who defended Carpathian Ukraine took place here. After the Second World War, the commemorative plaques were removed from the obelisk, it gradually fell into disrepair. In 2008, despite the protests of Ukrainian patriots, the monument was restored.

From the Veretskyi Pass you can enjoy breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains.

Vysoky Kamin mountain rises above the villages of Zhdeniievo and Pidpolozzia near the confluence of the mountain rivers Zhdeniivka and Latoritsa.

The height of the mountain is 836 meters above sea level. During the walk, you can see the nature of Transcarpathia in all its diversity. You can admire the wonderful views of the mountains, inhale the unforgettable aroma of spruce trees, and hear the sound of the leaves of beech trees.

The length of the route to the Vysoky Kamin mountain is 2 kilometers on a steep slope.

The "Arpad Line" bunker in Verkhnia Hrabivnytsia is a World War II military defense facility built by the Hungarians under the guidance of the Germans.

Excavated in the thickness of the mountain at a depth of 50 to 100 meters by two battalions of captured Romanians. The bunker has 3 tiers, 4 exits to the surface and an extensive system of pillboxs. The length of the tunnels is about 2 kilometers. There is a source of clean water underground.

During the war, the bunker was used as a hospital, food and ammunition storage, etc.

According to some sources, this is the largest military bunker in Europe that has survived to this day. Presumably, it was supposed to house a tank of the 1st Hungarian Army.

Currently, the bunker attracts tourists, tours are held.

The memorial house-museum of the Transcarpathian artist Adalbert Erdeli was opened in 2022 in the restored house of the artist, located under the Palanok castle in Mukachevo.

Erdeli is considered the founder of the Transcarpathian school of painting, on his initiative the Uzhhorod Art School was opened in 1927.

Erdeli lived in this house for six years with his parents before leaving for Europe.

The creation of the museum was initiated by the famous artist, associate professor of the Transcarpathian Academy of Arts Attila Kopryva.

The interior of the house and the workshop in the yard are reproduced based on photographs and drawings by Erdeli himself. The exposition presents furniture, personal belongings, photographs, documents, early drawings of Erdeli, reproductions of his most famous paintings.

The Adalbert Erdeli Museum functions as a house of creativity. In the attic space on the second floor, there is an open space for exhibitions and guest rooms for artists.

The Applied Art of Transcarpathia Museum was created in 2004 at the Mukachevo State University on the initiative of the famous Transcarpathian artist, art critic and teacher Attila Kopryva.

His personal collection of Transcarpathian folk costumes formed the basis of the museum exhibition.

In addition to samples of folk clothing and embroidery, the museum presents household items (wooden products, pottery, weaving and wickerwork) and work tools (looms, spinning wheels, etc.).

Dendrological Park "Berezynka" is a park-monument of horticultural art of local significance in Transcarpathia.

It was founded in 1957 on an area of ​​34 hectares in the tract "Nodliget" near Mukachevo, on the territory of Mukachevo forestry. It acquired its current status in 2003.

320 exotic tree and shrub species grow here, including ginkgo, tulip tree, magnolia, cuningamia, cypress, yew, microbiota, sequoia, Arizona cypress, taiga inhabitants aralia and dimorphant, various types of oak and cedar. In total, 90 species of coniferous trees and shrubs are represented in the Berezyn Arboretum. Plants represent all continents except Antarctica.

In March, Heifel's saffron (crocuses) bloom en masse on the territory of the Berezynka Arboretum.

The wooden church of Archangel Michael in Svaliava is a wonderful example of Lemki national architecture.

The temple is located on the southern outskirts of Svaliava, which used to be a separate village of Bystriy. Originally, the church, built in 1588, was located on the hills, but in 1630, for the convenience of the villagers, it was moved to its current location.

In the 18th century, the temple was reconstructed. A characteristic element of the architecture of Saint Michael's Church is a tall tower with a baroque finish. Babinets is surrounded by an open gallery with carved columns. The royal gates are distinguished by sophisticated openwork carvings with gilded and painted elements.

Today, the Church of Archangel Michael is active.

The Arpad Line is a system of defensive structures built by the Hungarians to protect against advancing Soviet Army units shortly before the end of World War II.

Most of these buildings were not used in the battles due to the fact that the Soviet troops bypassed them.

The remains of a blown-up large bunker are located at the entrance to the village of Pidpolozzia, another small reinforced concrete bunker is located near the monument to the liberating soldiers. Another large group of Bunkers is scattered in the forest near the village.

The Roman Catholic Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the village of Verkhnii Koropets was founded in 1704, after a large group of German colonists settled here.

The current building of the church dates back to the 19th century.

The Roman Catholic Cathedral in honor of Saint Martin, the patron saint of the city of Mukachevo, was built in 1904 on the site of an old Gothic church.

The 14th century Gothic chapel of Saint Yosyp with medieval paintings and tombstones has been preserved from the original building. It served as the altar part of the ancient temple, most of which had to be dismantled due to dilapidation. Of particular interest are the carved stone window casings with rich, unrepeatable ornamentation, colored stained-glass windows, supports (buttresses) of the walls, as well as Gothic vaulted ceilings.

Restoration was carried out in 1976.