Attractions of Khust district

The ruins of the medieval Khust Castle can be seen on the Castle Hill near the center of Khust.

The castle was built in the 11th-12th centuries to control the "salt road" from Solotvyno. The legend connects the name with a voivode named Khust. The castle on the top of a 150-meter mountain stood out for its power, which was provided by 14-meter walls, high towers and a siege well.

In 1378, the Hungarian king presented the Khust castle to cousins Balko and Drago from the Moldavian family of Drahosh. Legend connects them with the Wallachian lord Vlad III Tsepesh (Drakula), who became the prototype of the hero of Bram Stoker's popular novel.

After 1526, the Khust Castle passed to the Principality of Transylvania, and was one of the strongholds of the rebels during the Hungarian War of Independence. It existed until 1776, when a powder cellar exploded due to a lightning strike. Since then, it has not recovered.

Access is free.

The exposition of the Khust Museum of Local Lore is housed in six halls of a modern building in the city center.

2.5 thousand exhibits tell about the history of the region. There are departments of nature and general history, a picture gallery. Also original is the symbolic map of Europe during the First World War, on which the countries of the world are depicted in the form of animals.

Of particular interest is the exposition on the history of Carpathian Ukraine, the capital of which was the city of Khust for some time.

Museum employees conduct tours of the city and its surroundings.

The legendary Narcissus Valley is located in the Kireshi tract between the Tysa and Khustets rivers on the outskirts of Khust.

The nature of this relict valley has been preserved since the Ice Age. The narrow-leaved narcissus population growing here is unique in that it is not in the mountains, but on the plain (180-200 meters above sea level). Similar thickets, but of a smaller area, remained in a few places - the Alps, mountainous regions of Romania and some Balkan countries.

There is an adapted legend about the ancient Greek god Narcissus, who allegedly saw his reflection in the mirror waters of Khustets, fell in love and died of longing, turning into a flower.

Protection of the valley began during the times of Austria-Hungary. Under the Soviet government, they wanted to plow the land, reclamation work began, but thanks to the efforts of Professor Vasyl Komendar, the territory ended up under the protection of the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve.

The mass flowering of Narcissus Valley usually begins in the first half of May and lasts about two weeks (the exact date depends on the weather). The earth is covered with a white flower carpet of unusual beauty, which thousands of tourists come to see.

There is an ecological and educational center "Narcissus Museum", which tells about the unique flora and fauna of the valley, the history of its preservation.

The Kolochava Open-Air Museum of Folk Architecture and Life (skansen) "Old Village" (Stare Selo) is located in a picturesque area on the outskirts of the Transcarpathian village of Kolochava.

The museum has about ten authentic residential and commercial buildings with household items and works of art of local residents of the 19th and 20th centuries.

In particular, the Czech gendarmerie, a village school, a forge, a Hutsul kolyba, artisans' huts, a Jewish tavern and other buildings are presented. The museum combines the cultures of Hutsuls, Boykys, Lemkys, Hungarians, Romanians, Czechs, Slovaks, Germans, and Jews.

On the territory of the "Old Village" museum there is also the Museum of the Carpathian narrow-gauge railway, where you can see a German steam locomotive, several old cars, a motorized draisine and other rare railway equipment.

In addition, on the territory of the open-air museum, the underground bunker of the UPA rebels of Mykhaylo Shteyer has been recreated, in which the museum exhibition "Shteyer's Bunker" has been opened.

Nearby, a separate exhibition "Kolochava Bokorash" has been created, where you can visit a lumberjack's hut, familiarize yourself with the authentic tools of loggers and bokorashs, see reproduced robes for bringing down wood from the mountains, and take a photo on a huge bokor raft.

By prior order, theatrical performances with tasting of Kolochava drinks are held in the Jewish "Wolf's Tavern". There is a souvenir shop.

The Torun pass (941 meters) is located at the exit from the village of Torun towards Dolyna, on the border of Zakarpattya and Ivano-Frankivsk regions.

On the pass is a reinforced concrete Hungarian DOT from the Second World War (probably 1940) and a cemetery for Austro-Hungarian soldiers who died defending the pass during the First World War in 1914-1918.

There is also a rest area with gazebos on the pass.

The thermal pool and baths of the "Tepli Vody" (Warm waters) hydromedical center are located next to Khust in the village of Veliatyno.

Medicinal thermal, boron and boron-chloride mineral water (+30-58 degrees), which is used in the hydro-hospital, is extracted from a 100-meter-deep well from the Veliatyno deposit and has a high iodine content.

The thermal pool in Veliatyno is equipped for year-round bathing. It is used to treat organs of the musculoskeletal system, nervous system, cardiovascular diseases, gynecological diseases and others.

The legendary 500-year-old oak grows almost in the very center of Mizhhirya, at the crossroads of the main roads passing through this village.

It has long served as a reference point for travelers.

Several long-term firing points of the Arpad Line - a system of defensive structures built by the Hungarians to protect against the advancing units of the Soviet Army in 1943-1944, 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 section preserved near Synevyr was called the Line of Saint Ishtvan. Bunkers are not connected to each other, each one is like a separate room, but you can look into and enter some of them.

The multi-story command post of the Synevyr District is located on a slope near the Tereblya River. The premises of the hospital, the artillery caponir, and the communication corridors have been preserved.

The Church of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin Mary in Dovhe was founded in 1911 as a Greek Catholic church. Baroque architecture.

During the Soviet rule, the temple was closed.

Today, the Church of the Assumption belongs to the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Bronetsky Castle is one of the least known and most poorly preserved castles in Transcarpathia.

It was mentioned for the first time in 1273 in the deed of the Hungarian king Laslo IV Kun, when it was recaptured from the Rus by Master Petro Chaka. The last mention dates back to the year 1296, when King Andrash III instructed Zhupan Mykhaylo to reliably guard the Bronetsky Castle.

Several legends are associated with the castle, in which the knight Brinda appears on a three-legged horse, the horseshoes on whose hooves were nailed backwards. In some legends, the knight is described as an evil prince who terrorized the local population and robbed neighbors, and in others - as a noble robber who punished a nobleman.

It is not known who destroyed the Bronetsky castle and when. Only the outline of the foundation and individual stones scattered among the trees remained on the mountain.

The largest rehabilitation center for brown bears in Ukraine was established in 2011 on the territory of the "Synevyr" National Nature Park in Transcarpathia. Bears that have suffered injuries due to cruel treatment or being kept in improper conditions in captivity are rehabilitated here.

In the rehabilitation center, more than 30 bears live in semi-free conditions on an area of 12 hectares in the middle of the Carpathian forest. In its upper part, there are 6 cages and 2 sections for keeping groups and single animals of different ages and health conditions, 24 artificial dens, several artificial ponds. There are natural plantations of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, which are loved by animals. The entire territory is fenced with an electric fence.

The center is open to tourists, you can learn more about the history of each pet at special stands. Each animal has its own diet, an individual diet is developed for them.

Safety rules should be followed when visiting the rehabilitation center. It is forbidden to feed the bears.

The austere Gothic former church of Saint Elizabeth is located in the very center of Khust.

Built in the 13th-14th centuries as a Catholic church, it was rebuilt and surrounded by a defensive wall in the 15th century. In 1524, when the local residents accepted the Protestant faith, the church became a Reformation church.

The complex consists of a strict quadrangular bell tower with a high spire and a stone church building attached to it with powerful buttresses.

In the interior, a large pointed arch separates the choirs and the nave covered with cross-shaped vaults. Arrow windows and doorways, characteristic of Gothic, attract attention. On the wall you can see a fresco with the image of the Hungarian kings Vladyslav, Stefan and Irma, who are considered saints.

Now it is the Khust Reformed Church.

The first Deer Farm in Ukraine is located near Khust, between Iza and Lypcha.

It was created in 2003 on the basis of the liquidated collective farm named after Michurin, where spotted deer imported from Russia were bred since 1987.

150 heads are kept on the territory of 60 hectares. Medicines are made from young deer horns (antlers). Tourists are offered to feed the animals directly from their hands. The herd regularly approaches the feeder in the morning around 08:00 and in the evening around 19:30.

The Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit in the Transcarpathian village of Dovhe is a modern construction in the style of constructivism with high-tech elements.

Previously, there was an old Roman Catholic church built in 1920 on this site, but it fell into disrepair during the years of Soviet rule.

In 1999, a new church was built in place of the old building. nearby is the Greek Catholic Church of Saint Illya.

The Dovhe castle-palace was built in the middle of the 18th century on the basis of the destroyed wooden castle of the Dovhay magnates, known since the 15th century.

After the suppression of the liberation movement of the Hungarian people in 1711, Count Laslo Teleki received the estate from the Hungarian king as a sign of gratitude for his active participation in the fight against the rebels. He reconstructed the old castle in Dovhe, turning it into his summer residence.

The one-story palace is surrounded by defensive walls with an entrance tower and four small corner towers under tented roofs, a park is laid out in the yard. Representatives of the European nobility visited here for rest and hunting.

For the past 50 years, a tuberculosis dispensary has been located here. 400-year-old linden trees grow nearby.