Attractions of Uzhhorod district

The ruins of a powerful quadrangular tower-donjon are the only structure of the Serednyansky castle that has survived.

It was the main defensive node of the fortress, built by the Knights Templar like the ancient Roman border watchtowers on the Rhine and Danube. The thickness of the walls of the tower reached 3 meters. With the help of a chain of similar castles, the Templars controlled the salt route from Transcarpathia to Europe in the 12th-15th centuries.

After the liquidation of the Knights Templar, the castle briefly became the property of the monastic order of Saint Paul, and then was gifted by King Charles Robert to the Drugets magnates. In the 16th century, the new owners from the Dobo family, whose representative Ishtvan Dobo distinguished himself during the defense of the Eger fortress from the 120,000-strong Turkish army, took up the expansion and strengthening of the castle.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, Serednyansky Castle changed owners several times. It played an important role during the anti-Habsburg movement of the Hungarian nobles under the leadership of Ferents II Rakotsi in 1703-1711, as a result of which it was badly damaged and never recovered.

There is a legend about a complex system of underground passages, some of which were later converted into wine cellars.

Wine cellars in Serednie are the oldest and largest wine-making center in Transcarpathia.

The cellars were laid in 1557 by the magnates Frantsysk Stefan and Dominik Dobo from Ruska, who owned the Serednyansky castle at the time, as evidenced by a stone tablet near the old entrance to the dungeon.

The construction of the cellars was carried out by the forces of the captured Turks. Their total length was 4.5 kilometers. Initially, the cellars played the role of an underground shelter in the event of an enemy attack, but gradually turned into a wine cellar.

The tunnels are cut in tuff, a porous rock of volcanic origin. Inside, the temperature is constantly maintained at +12 degrees, which are ideal conditions for aging wine.

Serednyansky wines were known to many monarchs of Europe, they were supplied to the court of the Russian Tsar Peter I. In Soviet times, the cellars were nationalized, and on their basis, the Serednyansky state farm factory was created, which became famous for the famous vintage wines "Serednyanske", "Pearl of the Carpathians", "Rose of Transcarpathia". Currently, the plant belongs to APF "Leanka".

Excursions are conducted to the cellars, where the wine is aged in huge oak barrels, and visitors are offered to taste the best Serednyansky wines. The factory's products can be purchased in the company store.

Shenborn Park in the Voyevodyno tract next to Turya Pasika was created in 2013 by philanthropist Serhiy Moshak for the 285th anniversary of the gift of the Transcarpathian lands by the Emperor of Austria to Archbishop Lotar Frants Shenborn.

The entrance gate of the park, built on the ancient foundations of the 18th century building, symbolizes the portal between the Austro-Hungarian era of Transcarpathia and modern Ukraine.

Shenborn Park is set among the mountains of the Turya Valley around the dammed Lake Tur with an island in the shape of the 1867 Austro-Hungarian borders, accessible by raft. Each element of park architecture has a certain symbolic meaning. For example, 7 lanterns of different shapes correspond to the days of the week, 12 bridges symbolize the signs of the zodiac. In the Celtic Grove, you can see the Druid calendar in the runic circle and various trees corresponding to people's birth dates. Above the lake stands the water mill of Saint John with ancient millstones. The Baroque Bridge of the Four Evangelists is decorated with sculptures of Saints Luke, John, Mark and Matthew. You can also find several mini-sculptures of Celts by sculptor Mykhaylo Kolodka in the park.

Entrance to the park is free for guests of the Voevodyno resort.

Transcarpathian Museum of Folk Architecture and Life is a stylized ethnic village in the center of Uzhhorod, where samples of wooden architecture are collected, typical for representatives of different peoples of Transcarpathia: Dolynyans, Lemkis, Boykis, Hutsuls, Hungarians, Romanians.

The pearl of the Uzhhorod open-air museum is considered to be the Lemko wooden Saint Michael's Church (1777), brought from the village of Shelestove, Khust district. In the interiors you can see a carved iconostasis and icons of the XVIII century.

The Hutsul estate-citizen from the village of Stebny in the Rakhiv region, which combines residential, economic and defense functions, also deserves special attention.

An interesting design of a water mill of the XIX century. from the village of Kolochava in the Mizhhirya region, which provides a room for a mill mechanism and a sludge room.

Hungarian folk architecture is represented by the house of a wealthy peasant of the XIX century. from the village of Vyshkovo, Khust district.

Transcarpathian Regional Art Museum named after Yosyp Bokshay is located in the former county building in Uzhhorod.

A massive classicist office building on a hill in the center of the city was built in 1809 to house local authorities. On the facade you can see the coat of arms of the Ung County. The house is connected with the events of the Hungarian national liberation struggle and the activities of the Ukrainian society "Prosvita".

Since 1979, the premises have been occupied by the Transcarpathian Regional Art Museum named after Yosyp Bokshay with an exhibition of works by Ukrainian, Hungarian and Western European artists.

The basis of the museum collection are the works of the former Zemsky Art Gallery. The artistic work of Transcarpathian artists is represented by the works of recognized luminaries of fine arts Yosyp Bokshay, Adalbert Erdely, Andriy Kotska, Vasyl Svyda, Zoltan Sholtes and many others.

The directorate of the Uzhanskyi National Nature Park is located in Velykyi Bereznyi in the northwest of the Ukrainian Carpathians.

Back in 1908, the "Stuzhytsia" and "Tikha" nature reserves were created to protect the relict forests on the outskirts of Velykyi Bereznyi. Currently, it is part of the world's first tripartite Ukrainian-Polish-Slovakian international biosphere reserve "Eastern Carpathians", which is included in the World Network of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves. It occupies an area of almost 40 thousand hectares.

Uzhanskyi National Park is distinguished by a variety of natural landscapes, unique forest ecosystems, a wealth of flora and fauna, and a large number of cultural and historical monuments. 863 species of plants grow on the territory of the park, 80 of which are listed in the Transcarpathian Red Book, 52 are included in the Red Book of Ukraine, and 2 are included in the International Red List.

The main sights are located in the area of the village of Stuzhytsia: karst caves, mineral springs, wooden churches and the place where the famous Knyahinensky meteorite fell.

Uzhhorod Castle is one of the best preserved medieval fortifications in Ukraine.

The emergence of a fortified settlement of the Slavic tribe of white Croats on the Castle Hill above the river. Researchers date it to the VII century, but it was first mentioned in Hungarian chronicles in the IX century.

In its current form, Uzhhorod Castle was rebuilt after 1322, when the city passed into the possession of the Italian Druget family. The Count's Palace-Citadel was surrounded by strong walls with five bastions and a wide moat. According to legend, during the construction, the daughter of Count Druget was walled up for treason.

The fortress was turned into a luxurious residence in the XVII century by Count Miklosh Bercheni. In 1704, Uzhhorod Castle briefly came under the control of the Hungarian rebels Ferents II Rakotsi, and after the return of Austrian rule, a seminary was opened on the territory.

Currently, the premises of the Uzhhorod castle house the expositions of the Transcarpathian regional museum of Local Lore named after Tyvodar Lehotsky: folk art, spiritual culture, ethnography, firearms, and others.

In the yard - a 36-meter siege well and two sculptures of the XIX century: "Hercules, who kills the Lerneian Hydra" and "Hermes, who is resting." In the basement there is an exposition "Torture Room", which presents exhibits reproduced from drawings, medieval sketches, engravings and photographs.

The Uzhhorod Castle restaurant with a summer playground above the defensive moat has been opened in the castle guard room, and a Transcarpathian wine tasting room is open.

Uzhok Pass is located on the border of Transcarpathia and Lviv region, near the border with Poland.

The height of the pass reaches 889 meters. From the side of the village of Uzhok, a steep serpentine of the Uzhhorod-Sambir highway leads to the pass. From the observation decks you can enjoy wonderful panoramas of the main Carpathian ridge.

During the First and Second World Wars, fierce battles took place on the Uzhok Pass. A monument was erected to the heroes of the Second World War who died in 1944, liberating the Carpathians. A memorial sign was also erected in honor of the Ukrainian Sich riflemen who, fighting on the side of Austria-Hungary, in 1914 took their first battle with the Kuban Cossacks at the Uzhok Pass.

Voyevodyn waterfall is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Transcarpathia.

It is located in a hard-to-reach place on the territory of the Sokolovi Skeli State Reserve. The name is deciphered as "voy-vodyn" (howling water). He also received the second name Shypit for his powerful voice.

The icy waters of the mountain stream Voyevodyn, flowing from Mount Runa, are dumped here from a height of 24 meters and after 4 kilometers flow into the Shypit River.

There is a comfortable recreation center nearby.

The Uzhhorod Orthodox Synagogue is the temple of the Transcarpathian community of Ashkenazi Jews.

The synagogue in Uzhhorod was built in 1904 in the neo-Moorish style according to the project of architects Dyula Papp and Ferents Sabolch.

Currently, the building houses the Transcarpathian Regional Philharmonic.

The Zoological Museum of Uzhhorod National University was founded in 1946 at the Biological Faculty of UzhNU on the initiative of the first dean of the faculty, Ivan Rohal.

The museum is located in the Neo-Gothic building of the former Basilian monastery from 1912, which also houses the Physical Faculty of UzhNU.

The exposition presents more than 5,000 specimens of insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals from all continents and oceans of the world (total of 150,000 exhibits). In particular, a giant kangaroo from Australia, an African ostrich, an American caiman, an Indian elephant, a Bengal tiger, a Tibetan monkeys, an Antarctic penguin, etc. are presented.

Of considerable interest are the collection of diurnal birds of prey and owls from Transcarpathia and Eastern Slovakia of the Uzhhorod naturalist Oleksandr Grabar and the collection of tropical insects collected at the end of the 19th century by Professor Ishtvan Laudon.

Excursions must be ordered three days in advance.